


Blood & Water

by ryusenpai



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Original Character(s), Romance, Sex, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:42:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 64,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24129127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryusenpai/pseuds/ryusenpai
Summary: Hamako Chisuke, a Shinobi with a rare ability to manipulate blood escapes Kirigakure to embark on an unknown mission. But nothing really goes as planned as she soon crosses path with the Akatsuki and Kisame Hoshigaki.
Relationships: Hoshigaki Kisame/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> So I'm pretty familiar with writing fanfiction but this is my first time posting on here. I'm still trying to figure things out but so far, I have a pretty good grasp on this site works, haha.  
> I know the summary for this is kind of vague but I suck at writing them. I've been wanting to write a Kisame x OC fanfic for awhile now because he is my favourite Naruto character. Well, since I haven't been working due to COVID19 I now have so much time to write!  
> I really hope you guys enjoy this story. I've had a lot of fun writing this and it really made me fall back in love with writing fanfiction again. I might not be the best writer but I'm still pretty happy with where this story is going.

_Part 1_

_Demons_

_The Chisuke clan was one of the first clans of Kirigakure. While this clan no longer exists, the existence of them was believed to be a myth. The Chisuke clan was rumored to be one of the most dangerous clans in not only Kirigakure’s history, but the history of Shinobi as well.  
What made the Chisuke clan legendary, was their ability manipulate both water and blood. Not only could they control the blood of their own bodies but were able to manipulate the blood of their enemies, a very rare and dangerous technique. But the fact that they could do this was never confirmed, because the members of the clan were wiped completely wiped out. It is possible that there could be survivors of this bloodline, like the Yuki clan, who hide their abilities due to the danger of them being discovered.  
\- From A History of Kirigakure’s Clans_

* * *

It was raining the day that Hamako Chisuke had made her escape from Kirigakure, barely making it past the Village gates in time. Behind her, she could hear the shouts of alarm, hearing the panicked footsteps of the guards on top of the Village gates. It would not be long till the Anbu would come after her. It would not be long till the other countries were notified of her betrayal; a bounty being put on her head.

  
It wouldn't be long till someone added her photo and name to the Bounty book… She didn't even imagine how much she would be worth, considering the crimes she had committed.

  
But in that moment, she knew that she was fucked. No, she was not fucked per say, though she couldn’t deny that she was in deep shit. It was not that Hamako was worried, no she was not, she could take on the Anbu that would soon be on her tail. Though there was a risk in killing the Anbu, there was an even greater risk if she did not kill all of them. They would discover her ability to manipulate blood, a technique she had to hide all her life. But in secret, she learned how to hone her techniques, wary of the consequences of her secret being exposed. If there was a different ninja chasing her down, someone much more powerful, then she would be concerned.

  
Hamako’s thoughts were interrupted by the whistle of a blade, the shining knife slicing through the air to her exposed neck. Too close, but she expected the attack because she never once let her guard down. She dared to tilt her head to the right, taking in how many of them were chasing her now.

  
4…

  
8…

  
13…

  
Thirteen of them, there were thirteen Anbu approaching her from behind. She had to laugh at the odds, because this would no doubt prove to be a challenge. Though she had just taken down many Shinobi in Kirigakure, Chunin and Jonin, the Anbu would prove to be more of a challenge. These Anbu would be trained in silent killing and if they caught her alive, they would drag her back to the village and torture her in the worst way possible. Hamako could fight them now or draw them closer to the border of the Water country, she had to get the hell out of this country after all. Now, she was heading West towards the Land of Waves, but she couldn't keep running forever.

  
She picked up her speed, running faster as the Anbu approached her. Some of them yelled after her. Did they expect to stop her by talking to her? Not all Kirigakure ninja were monsters but there were some who would not stop to talk. No, they would be willing to draw blood the moment they saw her.

  
“STOP” One of them screamed, almost a blur behind her in the rain. “Stop and give back what you stole.”

  
She rolled her eyes, rain dripping down her skin in rivulets, “You think I will stop if you just ask me to?”

  
“… If you leave this country without surrendering, all other Villages will be notified of your betrayal.” Another warned. “Surrendering now will save you a lot of troub-“

  
That is what she had been told all her life, to surrender or to keep quiet. Because she was a girl, because her ability was dangerous, she was always told to hide in the shadows, forced to be someone she was not. People had died and suffered because of her, but why should she give a shit about that? She never really belonged to Kirigakure anyways. She never cared about belonging to the Village, she only belonged to one person and that person was the one that kept her alive, who made her strong.

  
She thought this as she released her Jutsu, feeling the Anbu’s chakra, the warmth of his blood flowing through his veins. The man had no time to scream before her blood technique caused his whole body to blow apart, blood and flesh flying, so it momentarily blinded the other Anbu. There was a terrified yelp and one of them swore, picking up their speed to catch her. But Hamako turned and her hands flew through the signals as she released another technique. The blood from the dead Anbu flowed through the air and turned into sharp strings, slicing through a few of them and causing more blood to spray and body parts to fall.

  
Blood bending was certainly not a clean technique, though it was convenient in killing large groups of Shinobi. Hamako knew more precise techniques, but right now she had no time for precision. Time was not on her side, she had to get rid of these Anbu, she needed to get the hell out of here. 

  
At this point, she had stopped running. She could take down these Shinobi and then escape from the country, anyone else who got in her way would perish as well. Hamako knew it was ruthless, but she was not trained to be soft, if she were to survive from here on out, she would have to shed blood in order to survive. Hamako had a plan, she would deal with these Shinobi and then run North, get on a ship and escape to the mainland. Going to the Fire country was a risk, but it was where she needed to go…

  
Hamako leaped into clearing, from here she could see the ocean, smell the salt water. In another world it would have been the smell of freedom, but she was far from free. In her world, she would never be free, not truly. The Anbu surrounded her now, less then there was before. There would be more ninja on the way no doubt, with the intent to most likely drag her back to the Village.  
She felt their chakra, their blood… It felt so, so alive. Funny to think that when she was prepared to kill them all, but there was something exciting about feeling the warm flow of blood. Hamako let her chakra go, she let her power flourish, drawing the blood towards her as the Anbu prepared to attack.

  
The once silent forest descended into chaos. The down pour of the rain did not drown out the screams and the clashing of blades. Later, a lone figure leaped away from the scene of the battle, heading towards the land of Fire.

* * *

  
When the Anbu had left the village, he had imagined that he would return home from his mission… He imagined that tonight, he would go and have a drink with some of his fellow comrades.  
He did not imagine that he would be here on the great Naruto Bridge, dying. All his life he had been prepared for the possibility of death, especially at a young age. But now that it was here, he was not sure how he felt about dying. He never would get to see his friends again, would never get to tell… To tell him how he felt. They had chased the girl all the way here to the Land of Waves, but still, she had taken down all of these Anbu. 

  
The girl was no normal Shinobi, considering she had ruthlessly killed almost all the Anbu that had went after her… She had slaughtered Jonin Shinobi in Kirigakure then escaped the village. How could a normal Shinobi do such a thing? No normal Shinobi could, only a monster or a demon could do such a thing.

  
He could not get up; he could not walk… His lower half was missing, torn away from him. It was a miracle that he was still breathing since his guts were spilled on the bridge. Around him, piles of flesh and blood were strewn… He saw the empty eyes of the former shinobi staring back at him, the bodies of the Shinobi the girl had lain to waste. But the flesh of some of his comrades was so ruined that he could barely make who they were.

  
Then he saw them approaching him, walking through the mist.

  
Two figures, one much taller than the other walked towards him. The rain poured heavily, almost blinding him but as they approached him, he could make out their features more clearly. Black cloaks, black cloaks with red clouds… The taller man with a large sword strapped across his back.

  
Realization dawned on him then as the man stopped in front of him. Kisame Hoshigaki crouched down in front of him, looking him up and down, his nose scrunching in disgust.  
“It’s a miracle that you’re still alive,” He observed. Behind him, Itachi Uchiha looked at the mess of bodies with concealed disgust, his eyes falling on him. “… Considering your body is torn in half, you must be determined to live.”

  
“Y-you shouldn’t be here…” The Anbu moaned, “Kirigakure Shinobi will find you and hunt you down…”

  
Kisame just stared at him, “Really now? It seems like even Anbu from Kirigakure couldn’t handle whatever killed all your comrades here…”

  
“It must have been a group of Shinobi that did this,” Itachi mused, walking among the corpses.

  
The Anbu coughed, tasting the blood in his mouth, “No… It was just one…”

  
“One Shinobi?” Kisame chuckled. “… Just one?”

  
The Anbu did not want to tell him, he should have hated this man after all. But, the girl… She was just as bad, maybe even worse than this man, worse than the Uchiha. He would not live to see her die, but perhaps these two could take her down… Though he doubted she was worth their troubles, since the Akatsuki’s goal was to kill the Jinchuuriki. Let these other demons kill the girl, she deserved to die after what she had done here.

  
“A girl…” The Anbu moaned, his vision becoming blurry. “She could control blood like water… A Chisuke…”

  
Kisame remained silent for a long moment, his jaw clenched as he stared down at the man. There was disbelief in his expression, did he not believe him? “The Chisuke Clan is just a myth.”

  
“They… They existed once… Long before our time…” It was getting harder to speak, his body felt so heavy. “B-but… I swear, the girl was one of them… That is how she killed… So… So many of us. Because she could control blood…”

  
Death was near, he did not have much time… “She…” He coughed, struggling to breath. “Her first name… I do not know…”

  
Did the rain stop? No, it did not… But he felt himself drifting, to sleep. No, he was dying now. There was nothing more to say, to do, he would die here on this bridge. He would die without saying goodbye to anyone he loved, he would die right here, in front of an S-Classed criminal.

  
The man’s face had gone slack, his eyes blank with death. Kisame knew that he did not have much longer left to live, he was almost tempted to kill the man himself, just to put him out of his misery. At some point, it had stopped raining, the mist rolling in and clouding the bridge with fog. Now there was nothing here but death, mist and death. The rain had barely washed away the blood, it still stained the cement of the bridge. It would not be long till other Kirigakure ninja came to retrieve the bodies, or what was left of them. Kisame turned to Itachi, who was looking over the bridge and into the water below. Upon looking, he could see the few bodies and body parts that floated in the water.

  
He thought about what the now dead Anbu had said, that a girl had single handily killed every one of the ninjas that had come after. Well, almost everyone at least, perhaps some had gotten away and went back to the Village to report what had happened out here.

  
“I’ve never heard of the Chisuke clan before,” Itachi said thoughtfully, turning away from the water and walking away from the mess of corpses on the bridge.

  
“Apparently, they were one of the first clans of Kirigakure… But then they were all killed off,” Kisame replied, shifting Samehada on his back. “… They were killed off for their ability to manipulate blood, like water.”

  
“… Like the Yuki clan.”

  
“Hm, yes.”

  
Kisame frowned, looking back at the bodies, whoever had escaped Kirigakure had came all the way down to the Land of Water to escape… Meaning, that whoever had killed all these Shinobi was no either in the Land of Fire or heading that way. If the criminal had managed to get this far and killed this many Shinobi, she must have been able to kill the other Anbu that had just left the village back in the Land of Water and escaped them as well…

  
This meant that whoever had done this, Kirigakure was going to make sure to take down this criminal no matter what. It gave Kisame a sort of thrill, whoever this person was or this group, they were surely dangerous. Meaning that they would be a worthy opponent of fighting, if given the chance to fight them. Him and Itachi made their way across the bridge, leaving the dead Shinobi behind. They headed towards the Land of Fire, to the Hidden Leaf Village in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

A few weeks later, Hamako arrived in a small village, north of the Fire country. Upon arriving in the Village, she immediately sought out a hotel and food to eat. The hotel itself was nothing astounding, perhaps a bit run down but it worked. Besides, if she went to the bigger villages and stayed in a nicer place, there was chance she could be discovered. Before arriving in the Fire Country, she had made sure to find a disguise to wear and plenty of weapons in case. So far, no one had made note of her and she did not feel or see anyone following her on her journey, which was good. Still she had to tread lightly, she had to be careful.

After crossing the bridge and arriving in the Fire country, she met with the coordinate… A fellow Shinobi who had a message for her from the person she was seeking. The man did not say anything but passed her a scroll which she had taken silently. She did not dare show her face or reveal who she was, instead she made her way north and kept to herself.

Now in the comfort of her room, a traditional hotel room with tatami mats and a low table, she unsealed the scroll. Unrolling the paper, she laid it out on the table and read what was written inside.

_By the time you have received this, I assume you have managed to take what I have asked for in Kirigakure._

_Come to Amegakure, my comrade will meet you in the city and escort you to where we will meet._

_Be careful when you travel, the Akatsuki are on the move and you should avoid meeting them at all costs._

The letter had no name at the bottom, but the last line made Hamako’s stomach drop. Though she was taught to fear nothing, the thought of meeting the Akatsuki was something she wanted to avoid. She especially wanted to avoid meeting _that_ man. That man, Kisame Hoshigaki and his partner Itachi Uchiha… While she had no loyalty towards Kirigakure, Kisame Hoshigaki had done nasty and brutal things back in Kirigakure and was a wanted S-Class criminal, loyal to the Akatsuki.

Once, she had come face to face to him and she would never forget that moment. Just once… But she knew the moment she looked up at him, he would kill her. He would kill her without a second thought, so she ran, she ran like hell that day. She was a child then; she was not as strong as she is now but perhaps if she had not run… She would have died that day.

But if she came face to face with him or any other Akatsuki member, could she take any of them on? While she enjoyed battling strong opponents, she also was not overly cocky about her abilities. Possessing a rare kekkai Genkai did not mean she was the most powerful Shinobi and she was taught never to be overly confident in her abilities. Over confidence could be her destruction and her end, she would not take such risks in battle.

So, if she came face to face with any of the Akatsuki, her best option was to run. Unless they paid her no mind, which Hamako hoped was the case. Either way, her best option for now was to hide, or to at least lay low. That meant no killing, no matter who pissed her off or threatened her. Sometimes her anger would blind her, and she would almost kill in a blind rage, but that was long ago, before she was taught to control her emotions.

Her mind would sometimes dwell on the past, but she had to force those thoughts aside. There was no point to think about it because her past did not matter anymore. What mattered was what she had to do now; she must take what she stole to Amegakure.

Her Sensei was waiting for her. He was the one that had assigned her this mission and now she had to meet him. The details had been kept secret but she was sure that he would tell her once they met face to face. She looked to her bag where the scroll, the one that she had stolen from Kirigakure was kept. Hamako wasn't sure of what was inside of the scroll, but she knew that her Sensei wanted this information. Laying down on the futon, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, willing the thoughts away. It was not always easy for her to sleep, because of nightmares, but she soon fell asleep.

* * *

_She had become too familiar with the feeling of an empty stomach, of feeling nothing but a hallow pit inside of herself._

_That night, she had sat in one of the alley ways of Kirigakure, her bones aching. She had not moved for hours, what was the point? Even if she could, she would not be able to find food or shelter. The alleyway stank of shit and rotten food, further down, a body lay in the shdaows._

_Hamako had survived this way for years, but tonight was one of the worst nights. Tonight, she would most likely give up, she would die in this alleyway._

_No._

_She would not, not today, not ever._

_She silently crawled towards the motionless body, upon further inspection, it was a Shinobi. He was clearly drunk, having passed out in the alleyway. His body shifted, groaning and Hamako saw the kunai knives strapped to his thigh, the katana laying beside him. She knew that she should be wary of a Shinobi, even if the Shinobi is drunk, who knew what he would do to her, even under the influence of alcohol?_

_The man’s eyes fluttered open, taking in the sight of the girl before him. His mouth opened, words slurring but Hamako did not listen._

_Before the Shinobi could utter another word, she had taken one of the kunai knives and stabbed it into his kneck. His eyes went wide with shock and pain, blood spraying from the wound. She shifted the kunai, digging it deeper into his neck until the blood poured more, soaking her hands and dirty clothes in it. Her other hand covered the man’s mouth so no one could hear him, but it was not long until the man was dead._

_Once the deed was done, she wiped her hands as best as she could and dug through the man’s pockets and his Shinobi vest… She found yen, enough to get her some food for the next week at least. She had almost cried out when she found food in the dead man’s pouch, a single rice ball which she inhaled upon opening it._

_Hamako stood up to leave but then froze, icy fear taking over her body. Someone stood behind her, she did not see them but could feel them, could somehow feel the blood coursing through them and smell them. There was something else with them too, something sinister…_

_‘Run!’ A voice screamed insider her, but she could barely hear over the wild beating of her heart, that strange buzzing in her ears._

_‘RUN!’_

_Instead she turned, facing whoever stood a few feet behind her._

_It was dark, but she could still make out his features clearly. He was tall and his shark like eyes shone yellow in the dark as they fixed on her, rain dripping down his blue skin._

_Hamako had seen many Shinobi before but there was something different about this man, something sinister. He did not say anything, but he stared down at her and then at the dead man, the man that she had killed. She did not have to look at herself to know that she looked like a starving street urchin, barely able to survive on her own. She did not have to look to see the cuts and scrapes on her bare feet and legs, her clothes and arms covered in blood._

_The man had a sword across his back and some sound, a growl, came from the sword itself. The hilt had a skull on it, and she paled, almost dropping the money she had taken from the dead man, she backed away._

_Why wasn’t she running? She should run but the man was not doing anything, just looking at her… He would report her, she would be killed or thrown into prison for killing a Shinobi. He would kill her._

_He was going to kill her._

_Her body jolted into action, running down the alley and away from him. Her body was so weak, but she forced herself to run… Hamako tripped, falling onto the wet ground the water splashing as she fell. The world had gone silent, but her heart still thudded wildly in her chest, she forced herself to get up looking behind her. But the man, whoever he was, was gone._

_Then she turned, slamming into someone…_

* * *

Hamako woke up, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dark… It must have been night time still or early morning at least. She tried not to dwell too much on the dream, tried not to think about how much her life had changed that night in the alley. It was that night that she had met her Sensei, the one who had trained her almost her whole life to be Shinobi.

The man who she thought was dead until it turned out he was not, having escaped Kirigakure instead.

She got up and went to the washroom, splashing cold water on her face. Staring at herself in the mirror, she studied her reflection. What stared back at her was a face that had seen the many dangers of the Shinobi world. There was a small scar on her left eyebrow and another scar ran under her right eye, another reminder from her Sensei and his harsh training.

Scars were nothing new to her, she them almost all over her body, beneath the tattoos she had inked on her skin. But it was not the scars or the tattoos that held people’s attention but her eyes, which were a unique shade. Sometimes silver, sometimes a light lavender colour depending on the light. Perhaps people thought she was beautiful, but it was something that Hamako did not care for, because beauty did not help you survive in this cruel world.

Pulling her black hair into a ponytail and putting her ninja gear on, she walked back into the main room and checked the time. 4:39 AM, if she left now, she could get to Amegakure before nightfall. She put her black bracers on and secured her tanto to her belt, wrapping a scarf around the lower half of her face, she threw on her black hood and put the hood up.

Silently, she slid the door open and walked out into the night, making sure to walk in the shadows as she quickly left the village.


	3. Chapter 3

_The era of the bloody mist produced too much blood shed. Young Shinobi were forced to kill another in order to climb the ranks and many children were left orphaned due to war and civil disputes. Because of this, Kirigakure had many orphans living on the streets._

_While other villages have orphanages to accommodate war orphans, Kirigakure’s orphanages were almost to the point of being overrun. There was also the fact that during the 4 th Mizukages reign, the orphanages were not being supported financially and many had closed._

_This had resulted in the death of many children since even more had lived on the streets. While some were taken in by families, there were some Shinobi that would simply kill the orphans on the streets, hoping to end their miserable lives. This was a chaotic and dark time for both shinobi of Kirigakure and the civilians that had suffered under the 4 th Mizukage’s reign._

_\- From a History book about Kirigakure_

* * *

Retrieving the Nine tails Jinchuriki had proven to be a failure.

There was no doubt that Pain would be pissed off that Kisame and Itachi would had failed to capture the boy, but perhaps another time they would be able to. Or the other members would attempt to catch the Fox boy instead.

Now they were headed back towards the Akatsuki hideout which was in the Land of Rivers. Kisame and Itachi arrived in a small village late at night, only a few villagers wondering the streets. Most of them gave them a wide berth, quickly looking away from them, while others stopped and openly stared at them. Perhaps they were particularly staring at Kisame or maybe they knew exactly who they were and were surprised to see two S-classed criminals wandering into the village.

Frankly, Kisame did not really give a shit either way. He bared his teeth at one of the villagers who ran away as soon as he did. He continued to follow Itachi to the local inn, but something caused him to pause, specifically a poster. A wanted poster, they were everywhere, especially in the smaller villages.

This one had caught his eye; it was displayed on a board beside the local grocery store. All the other posters were torn and had faded with time. There were many faces displayed here that Kisame recognized but there were a few that were familiar to him…

A movement in the shadows caught this attention, looking up, he saw someone watching him but then the figure melted into the shadows. Whoever they were, had made the wise decision of running away rather than to approach him. Turning away, he followed Itachi and they continued on their way to the Rain country.

* * *

Once Hamako had crossed the border of the Fire country and crossed into the Rain Country, everything had gone smoothly. It was only a matter of time till the other Shinobi came to hunt her down, so she was wary of any enemies everywhere she went.

She would watch and take a look at any wanted posters she had seen, but had not seen any wither her face on them... Not yet at least, though only a few weeks had pa ssed since escaping Kirigakure, word would spread quickly about what she had done. She had made sure that she was disguised when fleeing the Village but it would only be a matter of time, till they discovered it was her who had stolen a scroll with valuable information inside.

But then when she went into the village near the Rain country’s borders, things had started to take a turn.

“Shit,” She breathed under her mouth, before quickly turning into an alleyway. She had spotted the black cloaks with red clouds and hoped that they would not pay her any mind. Pressing her back against the wall and making sure her face was still covered, she stood still in the shadows of the alley.

They passed by, wearing the straw hats as to conceal their faces. One of them wore a three bladed scythe strapped to his back… A few minutes after they had passed by, she slid out of the alley and walked the other way, out of the village. If the Akatsuki were here then she had to leave quickly, it was best to avoid them. Not so surprisingly, it had started to rain… The light mist soon becoming a heavy downpour. People on the streets hurried inside to the nearest stores and restaurants, or their homes. Still some people had not been affected by the downpour and continued their on way to wherever they were going.

The rest of her journey had gone rather smoothly… Surprising, considering she had taken down a squad of Anbu after escaping the village. But Hamako didn’t let herself get too comfortable, she knew it would only be a matter of time before she was hunted again. In her bag, was the scroll… Whatever information in there was what her Sensei had asked for, what she had killed for. Kirigakure guarded it’s information well, so well that certain information was only accessible depending on your rank. This information that she had now was something only Kirigakure’s elders had access to, it was closely guarded by high ranking Shinobi.

Eiichi-Sensei had not clarified why he had wanted this information, for all she had known, he was dead. One day he had vanished from the village without warning and he had not indicated to her whether he was alive or not. Certain events led to this, to her taking what he had wanted and leaving the village… She had never cared for the village, but she cared for Eiichi-Sensei.

He was the one who had saved her life, who taught her to be a Shinobi.

* * *

A few hours later Hamako reached the edge of the village. Amegakure was unlike any other village and she stood there for a moment in the rain, marveling it. Unlike the traditional buildings of most villages, Amegakure’s industrialized towers reached towards the sky. She had snapped out of her reverie though as someone approached her through the rain, a figure wearing a dark blue cloak. Narrowing her eyes, she braced her body for a fight but the figure held both hands up.

“Hamako?”

She didn’t recognize the voice, nor did she relax. Easy, it would be so easy to cut this man’s throat and leave him bleeding on the ground. But this must have been the coordinate that Eiichi-Sensei had told her about, she relaxed slight as he moved closer to her. Her chakra picked up the flow of his blood, the beat of his heart.

“You’re the one who will bring me to Eiichi,” She stated, “Eiichi Hoshigaki.”

“Ah yes, of course.” The man said, amusement in his voice. His gaze lingered on her for a long moment before he turned away. “Follow me.”

They made their way into the city, passing through crowds of people on the way to their destination. Hamako spotted a few Amegakure ninja as they walked quickly through the streets, but none of them seemed to pay them any mind. No one followed them, she didn’t sense anyone watching them which was a good sign. But still something felt off about this and she couldn’t exactly place what it was. She had followed what Eiichi-Sensei told her what to do, so why did this feel wrong? It could be a set up, someone could be trying to kill her or capture her. There was no doubt that there were bounty hunters looking for her at this point, bodies of deserted ninjas did make good money after all.

They had turned into an alleyway, where near the end was sign… A brothel, by the looks of it. She supposed it was an odd choice for a meeting point but she didn’t begin to question Eiichi’s choice. The man had never been the type to be a frequent brothel visitor. The man, who’s name she still did not know, opened the door and led them through. Their whole journey here had been in silence, neither of them initiating conversation.

Hamako was greeted with the sent of alcohol, smoke and flesh. Women roamed around the room, some in colorful kimonos while others sidled close to men bare chested or in barely anything at all. Out of the corner of her eye, one of the whores straddled a Shinobi, his hands fondling her breasts and she forced herself to look away.

“Not the meeting place I had in mind,” She grumbled, they had taken their shoes off before walking through the curtains to the main room.

The man chuckled, he removed his hood. He was much younger than she had expected him to be, long brown hair spilling over his shoulders and his grass green eyes looking at her. He nodded his head towards the right side of the room, “This way.”

He led her towards the right side of the room, towards a door. He slid it open and she followed through closing it behind her. They walked down the stairs towards another door, where two men stood on either side of it, Shinobi, rogue ones by the look of it. They both nodded as they walked into the room… Hamako didn’t think once of what she would say to Eiichi-Sensei when she got here, what would she say? How could she say to the man that had practically raised her?

But when they got into the room, the door closing behind them, Eiichi-Sensei was not there. Her stomach dropped and then she froze, a hand instinctively going to the tanto at her waist.

At the low table sat one person, one woman. She was an older woman with grey hair cut to her chin, her skin only showing few wrinkles. She could have been mistaken for a civilian but it was clear from the way that she sat, that she was kunoichi. Her dark eyes swept over Hamako, assessing her, “Ah, so you finally brought her.”

“Who are you?” Hamako demanded, not moving.

“I’m not going to harm you child,” She sighed, pulling a cigarette from her pocket and lighting it. “I have been waiting for you.”

“I came here for Eiichi-“

The woman snarled, “Sit down.”

“No,” Hamako snapped back, her blood boiling. “Not till you explain to me what the fuck is going on.”

“Ah just as I suspected, you’re stubborn.” The woman glared at her crossing her arms, “He told me about you… Told me that you’re dangerous. Take off your cloak and sit down.”

Hamako would have chosen to run but instead, she chose to stay. She took off her cloak and sat down across from the woman who still stared at her as if she was hiding something.

After a long moment of tense silence Hamako asks, “Where is Eiichi?”

“Not here,” The woman states, puffing smoke out of her thin lips. “Nor is he in the Rain country at all. Things changed and he had to leave, your former Sensei has a lot of dangerous people attempting to track him down.”

“… So you’re here in this stead.” Hamako finished.

“I suppose so. Though I would highly suggest not going after him considering the shit the man has put himself in. Now he’s dragged you into his mess and you’re most likely going to be killed for it.”

“Not that easily. I’ve been trained well.”

“Oh?” She smirked, the cigarette dangling from her fingers. “Tell me girl, when they catch you and throw you into a cell… When they pull out your finger nails and flay you alive, you’ll survive that too?”

“I can endure pain.”

The woman sighs, “I’m sure he made sure of that… I’m Mina by the way. Do you have it, the scroll I mean?”

“I was supposed to give it to him.” This was wrong, who was this women anyways? Of course, Eiichi-Sensei wouldn't risk staying one place for too long. Still, Hamako hesitated as she handed the scroll over to Mina, who never took her eyes off her. Hamako had never once taken a look at what was in the scroll, only took it and brought it here as instructed. Mina didn't open the scroll, but set it beside her and Hamako wondered what exactly was inside of it... Dangerous information, or forbidden jutsus perhaps.

“Like I said, things change. I’ll make sure to deliver the information to him and as for you…” Mina contemplated her for a moment, eyes narrowing. “He said to lay low… To stay in the village, you can stay here if you wish.”

That did not sit well with Hamako, “You don’t think that’s a good idea, do you?”

“No,” She snorted, “I suppose it’s up to you what you decide to do… But if I were you, I would leave this village as soon as possible.”

“Especially,” The man who had taken here said, his eyes darting between them. “Since The Akatsuki is in the village now.”


	4. Chapter 4

“You’re fucking serious.”

Hamako had already given the scroll to the women, who's name was Mina, but was tempted to take the information back. Mina was also a rogue shinobi who held a higher position in the underworld but it didn't mean that Hamako could trust her, just because she was another rogue kunoichi. However, the woman had convinced her that she had seen Eiichi alive, had met with him and Hamako believed her. Still there was a chance that if she were a different person, she would have sold her out or had tried to kill her there in the brothel. She refused the sake the woman had offered her, nerves thrumming with anxiety.

The man, or boy, who had taken her here was named Koji. That was all he had said about himself so there was nothing else to be said. Hamako wasn’t sure if he could trust him as well, well she didn’t know if she could trust anyone. Trust was a very fragile thing, so she chose not to trust easily. At least Mina or Koji had not attempted to kill her either so she supposed that was a good sign, but she wouldn't reveal anymore about herself to them.

Another one of Eiichi-Sensei’s lessons which had been drilled into her, don’t trust anybody. Never trust anyone or depend on anyone in this world, people could betray you easily.

“More than serious,” Koji said quietly. He was a handsome boy, Hamako noted though she didn’t know why it mattered, or why she thought such a thing. “They’re all in the village now. So either you should leave soon or stay a couple of days and then leave.”

The best option was to probably leave right now. Koji had recieved the information about the Akatsuki from one of the Shinobi guarding the room, back when she was talking with Mina. Hamako remembered seeing two of the Akatsuki in one of the villages she had passed through, but why would all of them be in Amegakure now? There was no point in questioning it, she had to leave now or as soon as she could.

Standing up she grabbed her cloak and made her way to the door, Koji followed her though she didn’t know why. “Why are you following me?”

“I’m not from here,” Koji explained, “So I have no reason to stay here. Besides, don’t you think it would be best if we left together? Then we could watch each other’s backs until we get the hell out of here.”

“Fine,” Hamako said coolly, though she would rather have left the village alone. “I suppose that’s okay. Doesn’t make us friends though.”

“Sounds like you don’t have many.”

“No point really, everyone dies or betrays you in this life so there’s no room for friendships here.”

_'I didn't have many growing up either,'_ She thought, as they left the room. _'Eiichi-Sensei didn't allow it either and I never allowed it, because I was focused on surviving, on becoming stronger...'_

They had made their way to the top of the stairs, Koji opened his mouth to say something but then the door slammed open. Hamako almost openly gaped, but stood her ground as she took in who was exactly standing before her.

Black cloak with red clouds, silver hair and magenta eyes… Eyes which widened in surprise as he looked down at her. It took everything in her not to knock him aside and run out of there, but he only smirked. “Ah, what the fuck is this?”

“You’re in the way,” Hamako said, surprisingly calm as she stared back at Hidan. So, this was the infamous immortal zealot of the Akatsuki… Of course, she had to bump into him here in a brothel. But if he was here, that meant that his partner Kakuzu was not far behind. Yes, she certainly feared Hidan but it was his partner that she did not want to fuck with today. It would be much worse if she had to deal with both of them... But they wouldn't want anything to do with her, would they?

“I was looking for the fucking washroom,” He snapped, eyes flashing as he continued to stare down at her. He was tall but Hamako wasn't short, she straightened her spine and met his blazing gaze with a icy glare of her own.

“It’s on the other side,” Koji said, his voice stuttering as he spoke. Hamako didn’t have to look at him to know that he was scared at the sight of Hidan. Damn, the man should have kept his mouth shut instead of looking like a coward in front the dangerous criminal.

“I wasn’t fucking talking to you,” Hidan snarled, his breath smelt of alcohol but he was not drunk. Then his eyes widened as he looked at Hamako again, grinning. “Oh, now I remember you…”

She froze but didn’t give him a reaction, he must have seen her back at that village. “I believe this is the first time we’ve met... I would have remembered you if we had indeed met."

“But you were back in that village… You were the one hiding in the alley.”

Hamako assessed her options. She needed to get past this man, but she wasn’t going to use force here, not now. Perhaps she could talk her way out of this and then she could get the hell out of this village. “Look,” She said tightly, pulling Koji closer to her. “I would love to stand here and talk but I have somewhere to be. So, can you please just let us through?”

To her surprise, he moved. Hamako blinked and she pulled Koji with her as they made their way across the brothel not looking back at him. But she could feel Hidan’s gaze on them as she left, one quick look around the room indicated that there was no other Akatsuki member’s here, good. But she didn't relax, they could still be outside right now or his partner could be outside the brothel or close by. 

As soon as they stepped outside, Koji let out a long breath, shuddering. There was no one else out here. “Thank you, I thought we were done for back there.”

“Don’t thank me yet, we still-“

A scream, Koji’s scream pierced the air. She spun around, looking to see what had just happened. Hidan stood behind Koji, his scythe pressed against his throat. Hamako cursed herself, she didn’t hear him following them, but now he looked at her with a strange look in his eyes. She knew that look, it was a hunger for bloodshed. The man had moved so fast so quietly, she should have paid more attention as they left.

“I did need to fucking piss,” Hidan mussed, his other hand gripping Koji’s head. “But I think this more fun, what do you think?”

“What do you want?” She demanded, but Koji shook his head. There was fear in his eyes but also a warning.

She saw that look in his eyes, ‘Don’t’ it said ‘Just run’. But for some reason she couldn’t, she didn’t owe this boy anything but she couldn’t let him die here. It was a cruel fate to die at the hands of a criminal, especially an Akatsuki member like Hidan. She was no longer in Kirigakure, she didn’t have to hide her abilities but she also needed to be careful when and how she used them.

Hidan didn’t respond, instead he pulled Koji closer, leaning down and whispering something in his ear. Koji paled slightly and Hidan chuckled, his eyes flicked back to her, “Your friend here doesn’t want to play.”

“He’s not something you can play with,” Hamako snapped. “Let him go!”

“No,” Koji yelled, voice straining. “Run!”

It all happened really fast, it was as if something had snapped in Hidan. He pushed Koji forward then he raised his scythe and sliced him in half, so fast. Blood sprayed and Koji’s body fell in two pieces, blood and gore and spilling onto the wet ground. No stranger to violence, she still felt bile rise in her throat at the site of his body lying sliced in half, blood pooling on the ground.

_‘Holy fucking shit,_ ’ Hamako didn’t scream, but her thoughts raced. She had to stall this man, she had to stop him and then get the hell out of this village. If she didn't have her ability, he would have sliced her in half like that as well.

Hidan made to move but a shocked expression had taken over his face. Quick as a whip and without a second thought, she performed the hand seals with her jutsu, one-handed. Not many Shinobi could perform one handed seals, but it was a technique she had learned to master all of these years. When Hidan's eyes met her, he realized then what she was doing and she couldn’t help but smile. She was lucky, she had performed her jutsu with her cloak covering her arm, but it was still noticeable. Perhaps the Zealot was not paying enough attention or was too focused on murdering whoever he wanted next. 

“Since you’re immortal, I can’t really kill you can I?” She spat, her chakra feeling his blood and flesh then stalling him, so he wouldn’t move. “But if I were to rip you apart right now, you can’t regenerate on your own. No, your partner needs to do that. Am I wrong?"

“What the fuck?!” He snarled, attempting to move but to no avail. Hamako didn't need to use her full strength, this simple technique had become easier for her to use. “I’ll fucking kill you, youcunt!”

“Fuck you too!”

One moment he was whole and then she released her technique. There was a short scream and then the sound of flesh ripping apart and blood splattering against the alley. Blood sprayed onto her but she didn’t flinch, only relished in the fact that this man was now in many pieces in the alley. Hamako saw his scythe lying discarded on the ground, blood and flesh everywhere. Something burned inside of her, hot and fierce. She didn't feel remorse only anger at this man, something about him about all of this, made her snap.

She didn't let realization of what she had done dawn on her there. She had made a huge mess, she messed up. Hamako should have run as soon as Hidan had killed Koji, but she let herself lash out at him. What had she done?

“Have fun getting out of here asshole,” Was the last thing she said before she vanished from the alleyway. Hamako didn't dare look back, she didn't stop, she made sure to get out of the village as soon as she could.

* * *

It wasn’t uncommon knowledge that Kakuzu had a hard time controlling his anger. Him and Hidan seemed to do nothing but bicker and it was a very good thing that Hidan was immortal, because he would have been dead a long time ago. Kisame didn’t deny that it made for some good entertainment, seeing Kakuzu try to kill Hidan and him obviously not dying. Kakuzu and Hidan were clearly perfect for each other, he thought, considering how their abilities complemented each others.

But on this particular day, Kisame and Itachi found themselves following a very familiar, screaming voice. They could here Kakuzu’s furious voice from an alley in Amegakure and they both thought it was a good idea to check out what was happening. Pain would not be happy that Hidan and Kakuzu were causing a scene in the village, though it would most likely be Hidan’s fault that something had happened.

The sight that greeted them in the alley was definitely not pleasant. Villagers and Shinobi both avoided the alley due to the sight and the smell, Itachi looked upon the sight with obvious disgust. He turned his face away but Kisame looked upon the scene, wondering what the hell had happened here.

“Well,” He mused, ignoring Kakuzu’s obvious glare of disdain. “What did you do this time?”

“I was wondering the same thing. I can’t leave him alone for an hour and if I do, shit like this happens.” He pulled Hidan’s head from the ground which was miraculously intact. The zealot also looked very pissed off, and glared at Kakuzu.

“Fuck you, Kakuzu!” He snapped and Kakuzu looked like he wanted to take his head and throw it against the wall to shut him up. “I didn’t ask to be lying here in fucking pieces!”

Kisame said dryly, “I think you did or else you wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

“You Kirigakure ninja really are pieces of shit,” Hidan spat, eyes blazing with disdain and anger as he glared at Kisame. “This shit goes to prove it.”

“Shut your fucking mouth.” Kakuzu snarled, looking like he was about to hurl Hidan's head to the other end of the alley.

“Are you saying that this was done by a Kirigakure ninja?” Itachi asked, his eyes now taking in the bloody scene before him. Kakuzu muttered something about killing whoever had done this, kicking over the half of the other body in the alleyway. That body looked to be like a younger Shinobi and... Was cut right in half, gore spilling out on the ground.

Hidan scoffed, glaring up at Kakuzu who held him by his hair, “Yeah, that’s what I’m fucking saying. She didn’t even fucking use her weapons or hands, she was able to control blood… I didn’t know Shinobi could do that shit.”

Kisame could feel Itachi’s gaze on him now, remembering their conversation back in the Land of Waves. Hidan had no reason to lie about what happened, though what he had described was rare. That certain ability was dangerous and was why the Chisuke clan didn’t exist anymore, except for this one girl.

“What does she look like?” He asks, curious. If such a Shinobi exists, he wanted to see for himself what she could do. Judging from what had happened here, she was ruthless.

“… 5’7”, shoulder length black hair, grey eyes but they kind of looked violet… Oh and she has scars on her face.” Hidan explained but then his eyes narrowed, looking at Kisame. “Don’t fucking think about it.”

“… Think about what?”

“Killing her. Because I’m going. I’m going to tear that bitch to fucking shreds and then sacrifice her.”

Kakuzu looked clearly furious at this.“Not unless I kill her first.”

“FUCK YOU KAKUZU, YOU’RE NOT THE ONE THAT GOT TORN INTO FUCKING PIECES!”

“It’s because of her that I have to clean up your fucking mess,” He shouted back.

Itachi turned away from them, not wanting to deal with this.“We should go.”

“Hm,” Kisame murmured, following him out of the alleyway. He looked up at the windows of the brothel, noticing some faces peering down at the scene below. But then whoever watched scurried away from the windows.

He wondered where exactly the Kunoichi had gone, of course she would have escaped the village by now. From the looks of it, this might have been the same Shinobi that had killed all those Anbu back in the Land of Waves. Whoever this girl was, she was stirring up a lot of trouble, enough that both Kakuzu and Hidan were out to kill her.

Wherever she was, she didn’t have much longer to live. Kakuzu and Hidan would most likely track her down right away and kill her.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hamako ran like hell through the woods. She bolted down the hills, swerving around trees and narrowly avoiding the traps that were lain there._

_Kunai whizzed past her and she dodged them, then she had leapt over a mine. Lucky, she thought, if she stepped on it she would be dead. Somewhere, Eiichi-Sensei watched and she knew that he was assessing her, watching her every moment. The man did not tolerate weakness so she needed to do her best, she need to get through this faster._

_She made it out of the forest, sweat drenching her body. Hamako collapsed and someone walked towards her._

_A moment later, a hand wrenched her up forcing her to stand on her two feet. But it was hard, she was so tired and hungry as well. Eiichi-Sensei was a tall and cruel looking man, with sharp teeth and dark grey hair. He was from the Hoshigaki clan but did not have the gills that most of the clan seemed to have. Not like that man from that night, the blue skinned one with the big sword._

_He raised a hand and smacked her across the face, but she barely felt the sting of it. Hamako grown used to a life of pain, the scars on her body proved that. But she knew that she had disappointed Eiichi-Sensei by not being fast enough, by collapsing on the ground. She was still too weak and he didn’t tolerate weakness, weakness got you killed especially in the ninja world._

_“You do not collapse like a child, you stand like a ninja,” He said coldly. Hamako wanted to correct him and tell him that she was still a child, only 12 years old but he would hit her again if she talked back to him. But she was so hungry and her body was feeling weak, she wasn’t sure if she could go for any longer._

_“I’m sorry, Sensei,” She said blankly, not meeting his gaze._

_He gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him, “Don’t apologize, just do as I say. Understand?”_

_“Yes.” Was all she said and he nodded, turning away from her._

_That day she swore she would die. They didn’t take a break but sparred and trained with weapons, he pushed her hard until she had collapsed again and he slapped her again. Then they continued sparring and her body was littered with bruises, that night she had fallen asleep sore and aching. When she laid down, her body had curled in on itself and she felt the hot sting of tears on her face._

_But she had forced herself not to cry. Eiichi-Sensei did not tolerate that either, he said that crying was weakness. Whenever she cried, he didn’t comfort her like a father would but would scold her, hit her and tell her to be strong._

_She had no choice but to be strong. In this world, weakness wasn’t an option and if she hadn’t remained strong, she wouldn’t be alive today._

* * *

Hamako awoke to the distant memories playing in her mind, memories she wanted to forget. She closed her eyes, wanting to lose herself in sleep but could only listen as the rain pounded on the roof of the inn.

Regret had pooled in her core at what she had done before escaping from Amegakure… She had torn an Akatsuki member to pieces, had relished in making him suffer. Now she would surely suffer the consequences of what she had done. She should have run farther but she was shaken, she barely knew Koji but seeing him murdered by the hands of that man had… Shaken her.

Eiichi-Sensei had told her she was not meant to protect but to destroy. But what if she could be a protector as well? Since Eiichi-Sensei had left she had experienced freedom. She could do things her own way, but her history with him was what had driven her out of Kirigakure. She should have forgotten him, she should have said no to his mission. But either way, she knew that whatever happened she was tied to him. If she had refused the mission he would have found a way to make her suffer for that choice. No matter what, Eiichi-Sensei had always made her suffer whenever she failed, even when he was gone. Hamako could always here his voice whenever she made a choice, his lessons were so embedded in her that she didn’t know what else to do.

Pressing a fist against her forehead, she sat up. There was no point in dwelling on such thoughts, she needed to get out of here. It was foolish to rest at an inn when she could have traveled farther away. Countless lessons had proved that she could go days without sleep, but yesterday had shaken her and she needed to rest.

Now she was at the edge of the Land of Rivers, but she was regretting coming here. Perhaps she should have headed East instead but maybe she could turn back around and head that way. However, she needed to avoid Amegakure and the Rain Country in general. Right now, her best option was probably to head through the Fire Country, avoiding Konohagakure of course. Preferably, she needed to stay as far away from the Land of Water and the Land of Waves. Being a rogue ninja now meant that she couldn’t stay in one place for too long.

Hamako didn’t give herself time to waste, she quickly got changed and headed out of the inn not stopping to eat. She would head East, where exactly, she did not know yet.

* * *

Hidan scowled as they walked through the pouring rain, they were now out of the Rain country and it was still pouring rain. It put him in an even darker mood, though Kakuzu no longer seemed furious. He even seemed satisfied.

They had met with an exchange master at a Bounty station and the trip was not a waste. They had found some surprising and new information on a certain ninja, a certain ninja who had recently left Hidan in pieces back in Amegakure. He was still furious after the incident, being ripped apart was not enjoyable in the least, even if his body was used to it at this point.

It turned out the girl that had attacked him was Hamako Chisuke, a rogue Kirigakure ninja who had recently fled the village with a valuable scroll. This information was basic but it was what the man had said next that really caught their attention. The bitch had killed a whole squad of Anbu after fleeing the village so her bounty was high.

When the exchange master told Kakuzu the price on his head, he could have sworn the bastard got a hard on right there. The old man barely showed any emotion but when it came to money, then he really got invested. Even Hidan raised his eyebrows at the price on Hamako’s head, that was pretty high price on a recently deserted Shinobi. But it didn’t matter, this now fueled both of their desires to kill the Kunoichi. But… That bastard Kisame clearly knew something about all of this and he didn’t even tell them anything. He really hoped that he wasn’t planning to kill the girl as well, he would kill the bastard if he did or fight him over it.

The girl had made the mistake of heading to the Land of Rivers, but he knew that Kisame and Itachi were heading that way. If that was the case, they better not be trying to kill her and Kakuzu was probably thinking the same thing as well. Soon enough though, they had come to a small village near the border of the Land of Rivers. They were supposed to head East but considering they had a Kunoichi to track down, they decided to take a little detour.

“She’s probably going to head through the Fire country,” Kakuzu said. “I doubt she would risk going back to the Land of Waves.”

“I don’t fucking care either way… As long as Kisame doesn’t get to her first.”

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes at him, “Why the hell would Kisame try to kill her?”

“He seemed pretty fucking interested in her,” Hidan snapped back, “Couldn’t you tell?”

“No, I was too busy trying to clean up your mess.”

“You weren’t doing anything. You were just holding my fucking head while bitching about me fucking shit up again.”

“Because that’s what you do, you constantly fuck shit up… I would kill you if that girl hadn’t torn you apart. I must say it’s impressive though, she really did put you in your place.”

Hidan snarled, “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“You already know what it does, use your damn brain and figure it out.”

* * *

It was afternoon by the time she had made it into the Fire country, the sun beating down on her. It was hot here and she was tempted to take off her cloak but she wouldn’t risk that. Instead, she went to take long drink from her water bottle, but as she went to open it she saw that it was empty. Sighing, she put the bottle away and decided to find a stream on the way.

A few minutes later, she heard the running water of a nearby stream and made her way to it. Bending down, she splashed some water onto her face, relishing in the coldness against her skin. Then she took her bottle and dipped it into the water, filling it. Nearby, the birds chirped and then there was the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, wings flapping the air.

Something pressed against her back and she froze, almost dropping her bottle into the stream. Around her time seemed slow and a powerful presence stood behind her, no, there were two of them. Hamako dared to turn her head and look.

Almost coming face to face with Samehada, Kisame Hoshigaki loomed over her and Itachi Uchiha stood back near the trees, watching. She almost became queasy underneath Kisame’s intense stare, she remembered that moment about 10 years ago back in Kirigakure. That was the moment she thought he would kill her, would he kill her now?

“Can I help you?” She asked, making sure her face was still covered. “I don’t believe I have business with you two, so if you could go away, that would be great.”

Kisame snorted, pressing his sword against her chest. A low growl emanated from it, but she didn’t flinch, “Is that the same thing you said to Hidan before you left him in pieces back in Amegakure?”

Well, fuck. She shouldn’t be surprised that they found out about that. “No,” She said, “I told him to fuck off, but he wouldn’t.”

“Very clever,” Kisame said sarcastically, lowering his sword. “You pissed him and his partner off now they’re out to kill you.”

Itachi moved forward then, till he was standing beside Kisame. “Take off the hood.”

“No.” She snarled.

Hamako almost didn’t have time to react, but she barely dodged as Kisame swung his sword at her. Then so fast, a hand grabbed and threw her into a tree. No time to think about the pain, she stood up but was slammed against the tree, a hand forced her hood back and ripped the scarf from her face. Kisame was standing before her again, his hand now grasping her throat.

Itachi was looking at her as he said, “It’s definitely her.”

But Kisame didn’t speak, he just stared down at her without saying anything. His eyes roamed her face and she experienced a moment of Deja Vue. There was long moment where she wondered if he would truly kill her, if this would be her last day alive. He was so close to her, she could smell him, see the details of his face. It was becoming very difficult to breath, his hold on her didn’t loosen and as he looked at her, he didn’t smile. There was a strange expression, a questioning one.

_‘He recognizes me,’_ She thought, though she wasn’t certain of this fact. _‘… Maybe he remembers me. Maybe he won’t kill me after all… Who the fuck am I kidding? This man might kill me, I shouldn’t get my hopes up.”_

“Kisame.”

Itachi’s voice was sharp as if he needed to snap Kisame out of whatever daze he was in, “Yes?” was his gruff reply.

“You should let her go.”

Hesitantly he did, letting her fall to the ground. She took in a few deep breaths, glaring up at him. “Fuck you too.”

“I think you mean ‘thank you’,” He snarled back and Hamako felt a surge of rage at the way he looked down at her. What was with this man? She couldn’t understand his motive and that was what pissed her off.

“I don’t think it’s worth wasting our time on her.” Itachi said quietly.

“Well, I did say that you should just continue on your merry way before but nope… You just had to come here and inquire as to why I put that psychopath in his place.” Hamako coughed standing up. “Who had killed a man for no reason.”

_‘He probably would have killed me as well,_ ’ She wanted to say, but knew that saying it wouldn’t sway these men. They were probably going to try to anyways, since they wouldn’t leave her alone. Her best option now was to get the hell out of there, could she outrun them?

She needed a distraction… Or she needed to reason with them. Kisame and Itachi had both ignored what she had said and were now talking about something else, but Itachi’s eyes flickered towards her every few seconds. Hamako was a talented Kunoichi, but dealing with both Itachi and Kisame was not an option now.

She moved to walk away but Kisame stepped in front of her and she almost walked into him, “What the fuck?”

“You’re not going anywhere yet,” He said and she wanted so badly to slap that damn smile off his face.

“You don’t get to decide that.”

“Well then I guess you have no choice but to fight me then.” He snarled, leaning towards her. “If you’re up for the challenge.”

“Kisame-“

Itachi went silent and they all turned towards the stream, they were not alone anymore. On the other side stood Kakuzu and Hidan, who looked at them.

As Kisame turned towards them both Hidan and Kakuzu’s gazes went to Hamako, who laughed nervously.

“Well, fuck…”


	6. Chapter 6

“Hello, bitch!”

Kisame growled, muttering something under his breath as he glared at Hidan who looked ready to pounce on Hamako any moment. Kakuzu’s gaze was just as murderous as he looked at the girl, who looked quite nervous herself. What the hell were these two doing here anyways? He remembered Pain ordering them to go to Iwagakure, not _here._

There would be consequences if the Akatsuki leader found out that these two had clearly disobeyed their orders. Though not everyone in the Akatsuki

Itachi seemed to be thinking the exact same thing, for he said, “What are you two doing here?”

“We decided to take a detour,” Hidan explained, leaning on his scythe. “Really Kisame, you know why I’m here… That is evidence of that. You remember what that bitch did to me?”

“Yes, you were screaming your head off about it while your body was in pieces… Of course I remember.”

He felt her draw away, slowly towards the trees. He turned and looked at her, giving her a warning glare but she looked like she was about to kill him. Kisame wanted to witness what this girl could do with his own eyes, it would be a waste if Kakuzu and Hidan decided to kill her now. So the only way this would work was if he let her run and then eventually…

He turned away from her but she still didn’t move, he wouldn’t tell her what to do, she could figure it out on her own. “You do know what Pain will be on your ass if you don’t follow orders,” He said to Hidan.

“Fuck Pain and his orders… We’ll do what we’re told once we kill this bitch and Kakuzu here can collect the bounty that is on her head.”

“For once, I am inclined to agree.” Kakuzu said, loosening the buttons of his cloak. “Get out of the way. I’m going to kill here.”

Hidan whipped his head to him, eyes flashing with anger. “Like hell you are, I’m going to fucking tear that bitch to shreds!”

One moment, the girl was there and then she was gone. Hidan screamed, a warning perhaps and Kakuzu bounded towards her, intent on killing her.

* * *

She didn’t know what the hell Kisame and Itachi were planning, but she didn’t herself stop to watch. The moment they both turned away from her she had bounded the opposite direction, leaping through the forest as fast she could. The last thing she had heard was Hidan screaming and then another shout of alarm, one of them ran after her or attempted to but was then stopped.

“WHAT THE FUCK, KISAME?!”

Shock and confusion almost caused her stop but she couldn’t. Was Kisame stopping them from killing her? No, there was certainly no way that they would do that for no reason at all. If Kisame and Itachi were stopping them, it was because they wanted something from Hamako herself. This thought had her running faster, jumping from tree to tree as fast as her body could muster. She couldn’t complain, this was her fault after all. She should have tried running from Hidan instead of lashing out at him back in Amegakure.

Eiichi-Sensei would have given her a severe punishment for doing such a thing. He would tell her that she deserved this, had brought this upon herself. Hamako for once, believed it especially now. Perhaps if she was thinking more clearly, she could have dealt with this situation better. It was her first time ever being outside of Kirigakure, things were different out here in this world.

Now, she would make things right. No more making foolish mistakes. All she had to do was get as far away from here as possible. But then once she did that, what would she do next? Hiding from these bastards would prove to be a challenge. But she was in the Fire Country, if she headed towards Konohagakure, drawing the Akatsuki members there…

It was a risky plan, leading them closer to Konohagakure. But if she was fast enough, she could escape before any Konohagakure ninja got to her. If she brought them closer to the village, caused a scene that would involve ninja from Konohagakure to come to them from the village… It could distract the Akatsuki members while she tried to escape, but it would mean that she would be at risk of getting captured by Konohagakure ninjas.

It was a risk she was willing to take. She veered to the left, heading towards Konohagakure, but then she felt it. Someone or something was following her.

She almost missed the next tree branch, yelling as Kisame came towards her at full speed. She felt suddenly sick but forced herself to keep heading towards the village, but it wouldn’t take Kisame long to figure out what she was doing…

Something smashed into her back, causing her to fall. She hit the ground, her body rolling against the ground from the force of the blow. Bracing herself, she stood up recovering from the sudden attack, drawing her tanto.

She knew a few things about Kisame Hoshigaki.

One, he was incredibly strong… There was no way that Hamako could fight him in strength, two he was fast. Incredibly fast, almost a blur as he came towards her.

This time, she was ready. Hamako blocked his blow, bracing her feet against the solid ground with her chakra. Samehada pushed against tanto and her arms and body shook with the force. It was clear that he was not using his full strength but he smiled, a wicked smile.

“Scared?” He asked almost casually. He shoved against her harder till their faces were closer together. She snarled, glaring at him as she refused to back down. He chuckled, eyes locked on hers. “You really thought you could outrun me?”

Dread pooled in her gut. Of course he had planned this, he only stalled Kakuzu and Hidan so that _he_ could fight her or kill her instead. If he really wanted to kill her then he would have attempted to use his brute strength right from the start. There was no time to think further, now she had fight him with the best of her abilities.

The black bracers she wore hid smaller, slim knives in them. Using her chakra to force one out of her left arm bracer, she cut her palm, blood dripping from her hand. Kisame would no doubt notice but she tried to look discreet, choosing this moment to try to distact him.

“Did you want to kill me, is that why you stopped your two friends back there?” She snapped, baring her teeth at him in a smile. “Were you really that desperate to fight me?”

Kisame’s expression grew wary as he looked at her, but his eyes didn’t go to her bloody left hand. “I couldn’t help it, I was curious.”

“Is that why you kill people, because you’re curious?”

“Ah,” He chuckled again, eyes glinting. “If I wanted you dead, I would be trying right now. But I simply wanted to see what you’re capable of. After seeing what you did to those Kirigakure ninja and Hidan, I wanted to see what you can do with my own eyes.”

“Sorry, I don’t just kill people for show.” She hissed. “I don’t do any of this shit for show.”

Kisame growled. “It doesn’t matter, after all of that, I don’t think I’m going to let you run away.”

“I don’t get why you can’t just fuck off and leave me alone!” She snapped, then she leaped away. But before he could attack, she quickly released her jutsu, _blood prison._ A web of blood surrounded him…

But then he disappeared.

She jumped as he came from behind, swinging his sword towards her. But this time she directed the threads of blood back towards him, underneath him so to catch him off guard. Kisame anticipated this move and dodged, a thread of blood skimming his cloak, cutting the sleeve.

He looked at his arm, where blood now dripped and chuckled, meeting Hamako’s gaze. “Now, this should be interesting.”

* * *

Around them, the wind blew through the trees, leaves rustling as Kisame looked at the girl before him.

He didn’t know her name. But something about her was familiar, that fierce gaze and the way she stood, unafraid. Kisame took a minute to assess her, to really see her. She still looked young and in this light, her eyes shone light violet. She was assessing him the same way but she had already known about him, known how he would fight and how strong he was.

But, it bugged him slightly. There was something strangely familiar about her, had he met her before? There was something so familiar about the way she looked at him…

“Not bad…” He mused aloud, causing her to bristle. “I’ve heard rumours about your clan but didn’t believe they really existed… So this confirms it, you’re really a Chisuke.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because you wouldn’t be alive today if people knew who you really were,” Kisame explained. There was no doubt that she had kept her ability hidden back in Kirgakure. “Must have been hard, having to hide your ability. I have no doubt that someone in Kirigakure would have killed you if they found out what you could do.”

Because it was a dangerous ability, what she could do. Which was why all of her clan was killed, because they were powerful and dangerous. Well, the pieces were starting to come together now… There was only one reason that she had ran away from Kirigakure, why those Anbu had attempted to chase her and kill her.

“They found out, didn’t they? Is that why you had to run away from Kirigakure?”

“Stop acting like you know shit about me,” The girl barked. “You don’t know me.”

Kisame had wasted too much time talking, though he enjoyed seeing her annoyed expression. Samehada growled, clearly liking the girl’s chakra. He prepared for another attack, he wanted to test her a little further, see how strong she was…

The girl whipped her head to the left, body stiffening. That was when Kisame heard it, something came crashing through the trees. Shinobi, Konohagakure Shinobi.

Soon enough, they were surrounded by Konohagakure Shinobi. Well, that certainly wasn’t a problem, the girl was still here…

But when he looked, she was gone. Where she had stood before was… Nothing, only a small pool of water. A water clone. Again, he looked around but the girl had disappeared, now he was by himself in the clearing, surrounded by Konohagakure ninja. Where did the girl go?

For a moment, he was… Surprised, but then he realized what the girl had done. The girl he had been fighting in the clearing the whole time was a clone no doubt, there was no way she was able to escape while they fought. Kisame would have caught her if she did.

There was something else as well, she had been running towards Konohagakure. He didn’t understand why she would do such a thing, if he were her, he would have avoided going near that village at all costs. But… She was running towards the village in hopes of them chasing her, in hopes of Konohagakure ninja showing up at some point and _then_ she could make her escape, while he dealt with these ninja.

 _‘Risky…’_ He thought, a foul taste in his mouth. Now, he was annoyed. The girl had fooled him and he had fallen for her trap. _‘Perhaps I did underestimate her…’_

While he mulled over the situation, the Konohagakure ninja had been saying something to him. Not like it mattered, he would kill them all anyway. Then he would find that damn girl and really find out what the hell she was hiding. The thought excited him, this time when he found her, he would really fight her.

He wasn’t fond of chases like this, he preferred his opponent to face him and fight him.

So as the Konohagkure ninja attacked him, Kisame didn’t hold back. Samehada ripped through a few of them, flesh tearing as blood sprayed. They came at him from behind but he already saw them coming, tearing through them as well. It wasn’t long before all of them were dead and Samehada was covered in blood, the scent of blood and flesh thick in the air.

One of the Shinobi somehow lived and Kisame smashed his foot into their back, crushing their spine and ribs, feeling the life leaving them as he continued to crush them. But even as they died, he wasn’t satisfied.

He was pissed off and when he thought of that girl, he became angrier. He knew better than to chase her, knew better than to waste his time on her. But she had tricked him and he was annoyed that he didn’t get to really fight her.

But then he smiled, surely there would be more Shinobi from Konohagakure. She couldn’t have gotten away so easily, not without having a few of them on her tail. Leaving behind the dead Shinobi, he went after the girl.

* * *

Hamako’s plan had miraculously worked, she had avoided an encounter with Kisame Hoshigaki, unless the other three Akatsuki members were now chasing her. That didn’t seem to be the case, no one followed her, not yet at least.

She wasn’t keeping her hopes up that Kisame wouldn’t come after her. If anything, she probably pissed him off by tricking him the way that she did. They probably would have tried to leave once the ninjas from Konohagakure started showing up.

She wondered where Eiichi-Sensei was or what he would do. What could she do now, where was Eiichi? Her next goal was to find him, wherever he was. She doubted that he would be easy to find, he would be hiding now, but where? She needed to find out where he was, what he needed her for.

Hamako came to halt, freezing as she saw who stood a few feet away. Itachi.

He looked at her coldly, his eyes assessing her. She didn’t look him directly in the eyes, knowing that she could get caught in a Genjutsu. Heart pouding, she braced herself…

He was in front of her the next second, only a foot apart. She looked up at him, his red eyes moving…

She had made a grave mistake. Hamako attempted to avert her eyes, but it was too late, she was already in his genjutsu. Reality blurred and everything became dark, panicking, she tried to scream. There was no turning back now, she couldn’t escape the Genjutsu.

_She was on the streets of Kirigakure. Winter had come and she could barely keep herself warm that night, she sat huddled in the alleyway. Hamako’s fingers and toes had turned almost blue from the cold, teeth chattering._

_It had begun to snow, flakes drifting lightly as she sat in that alleyway._

_She was bleeding, she couldn’t move. Reality had seemed to warp around her, time had seemed to stop because she couldn’t think, didn’t want to think. What had happened earlier that day… She had only been wanting food, money, anything to survive. Instead…_

_No._

No.

I don’t want to remember.

Get out!

There was the current time and the past and they were overlapping. Hamako knew that this wasn’t’ real, that this was Itachi looking into her past, digging between the layers of her mind to seek out information. But why of all memories, was this the first one he had to see? She didn’t want anyone to see his, this was hers. This was her pain, no on else’s.

Maybe she was weak, for not wanting him to see this. But she didn’t want to pried into like this, she didn’t want anyone to force these memories from her. Hamako had trained to become stronger so no one could force her open like this, she swore that she would never let this happen to her again.

Not again.

Never again.

Stop, stop, stop, stop.

Stop!

STOP GODAMNIT!

_There was blood in the white snow and pain, so much pain in her body and in her heart. Her life was pathetic, she had a home once but no family and no one to care for. So why had she bothered to live? What was the point in living when everyday felt like hell? She would die now if kept sitting here in the snow. It wasn’t like there was anyone who would care if she died…_

Hamako didn’t like to look back at the past but here she was, being forced to witness it. She felt her rage, felt it in every inch of her body as she looked down at that pathetic girl in the snow. She had killed that girl, that part of herself, she wasn’t like that anymore. Closing her eyes, she imagined a wall around her a fiery wall that no one could pass through, that no one could penetrate.

But it was no use, she couldn’t escape the genjutsu.

Hamako screamed.


	7. Chapter 7

_There were days that seemed to all blur together and it was the past few days that seemed to go by too fast. Kisame did not stop to comprehend the amount of blood he had spilled, but the faces of his fallen comrades stared back at him in his dreams._

_Nightmares more like, only in nightmares could the dead haunt you. No matter what he did, he couldn’t shake off the mistakes of his past, of what he had done._

_It was late at night when he had chosen to leave the village, choosing to leave discreetly of course. He didn’t take joy in running, but soon the Land of Water would be seeking him out for his most recent assassination… He was lucky that he had managed what he had done so far, but it was best to leave the village before Kirigakure sent other ninjas after him._

_Then he felt someone following him. He stopped on the street looking behind him, up… But he saw no one, not yet. He walked into a dark alley, there on the other side, he could sense them there. This scent and chakra was familiar, he growled.._

_Then stopped smelling blood and seeing the corpse slumped against the alleyway, among all the garbage. In front of him, stood a kid, their hands covered in blood._

_An orphan, a homeless child. They… She looked young, only about 9 years old. Her hair was a ragged mess, cut short and almost covering her eyes. The clothes she wore hung way too loose on her rail thin body. But… It was obvious by the way that she had crouched near the body, the blood on her, that she had killed the man. Upon a closer look, it was a Shinobi._

_The girl stared back at him, clutching something in her hands. But then she turned and bolted down the alley way. A man emerged at the other end and Kisame didn’t see what had happened to the girl._

_He had already disappeared into the night, leaving without a sound._

* * *

She woke, expecting to feel the cold, wetness of snow on her skin.

Except she felt… Nothing, no pain, but fear coiling in her belly. Hamako blinked a few times forcing herself to fully wake up, what had happened? Oh now she remembered, feeling a spark of anger. Itachi, that bastard had put her under a genjutsu and was knocked unconscious.

She sat up, attempting to move her arms but realized she couldn’t… Someone had tied her arms behind her back. She looked down at her feet, well they hadn’t tied her feet so that was a relief. But why would they tie her hands and not her feet? Surely whoever had taken her, would have made sure to have tied both, or at least tied her to a tree or something.

Finally, Hamako felt fully awake and not groggy. Looking around, she saw that no one else was around. Well, that was certainly foolish, whoever had captured her should have had more shinobi watching to make sure she didn’t escape. If she was going to run now, now was the best time to do so. Of course, she had to deal with the rope currently tied around her wrists… No, now she would run and then she would deal with them.

Hamako wasn’t exactly sure which direction to go and that was the problem… She had to find her Sensei but she had no idea where he could be. She had made sure to familiarize herself with the map before hand, but her hostages had taken her somewhere else. Growing frustrated, she made her way to the right, choosing to get as far away as possible… Okay, that was a plan. She would get away from here and then figure out where to go next.

Making sure she had her cloak, her bag and her tanto, she descended further into the woods. She was still in the Fire country, which was a good sign she supposed. Whoever had knocked her out hadn’t made it too far from where they had fought before. But… Was it Kisame and Itachi that had taken her hostage, or had they simply abandoned her?

Only a few minutes after she had left where she was knocked out, she felt someone following her. But then they stopped above her and Hamako looked up and swore.

Kisame stood there, looking down at her with a smile on his face. Damnit, she should have known better… Of course after what had happened earlier, he would still be itching to fight her. Seeming to read her thoughts, he jumped down and stood right in front of her. She didn’t dare flinch as she grabbed the front of her cloak and pulled her towards him. He was a tall man and he looked down at her while she forced herself to stare ahead, not wanting to meet his gaze.

Panic seized her, remembering what Itachi had forced her to see in that genjutsu… No, he was too close and she didn’t want it, didn’t want anyone else to grab her like this. Horrible memories surfaced and the panic gripped her more now, she couldn’t shake that terrible feeling. Kisame wouldn’t let her go, would he let her go? What would he do to her?

“Let go of me.” She snarled, daring to meet his eyes.

He chuckled and she suddenly felt sick, their bodies uncomfortably close. “Now, now… I’m not letting you go that easily. We have some unfinished business.”

“We can discuss this after you let me go.”

“But if I do that, you’re only going to run away again-“

Hamako snapped, her anger simmering into rage and then boiling over.

She didn’t have the razor sharp teeth of many other ninja Kirigakure, she had only sharp, accentuated canines. Seeing red, she grabbed Kisame’s hand which still gripped her damn cloak and bit into it. Her teeth sank, tasting blood and she ripped the flesh with her mouth, snarling. Through her anger she didn’t hear but he made an attempt to push her away but Hamako didn’t back down.

Then she hit the ground, he succeeded in shoving her away. But she wouldn’t give up yet, blood dripping from her mouth, she stood up and glared at him. He stood there, holding his ground, looking at her with a bewildered expression on his face.

“If you ever touch me again, I will fucking rip your balls off you piece of fucking shit.” She snarled. “Don’t ever fucking touch me again, do not put your fucking hands on me like you just did. Or else I will rip you apart, do you fucking understand?”

She didn’t stop, the words spilling out of her mouth. In her rage, she had broken her bonds, her hands shaking. “You’re so lucky. I could do to you exactly what I did to that fucking zealot but I’m not going to do that. You think I won’t fucking hesitate to hurt you? No, I won’t. I know you’re dangerous but I’m dangerous as well, I’m not fucking weak. I’m not going to let you walk all over me, you piece of shit. So stop toying with me, stop following me, stop fucking looking at me.”

Without looking back, she turned away from him, stalking back into the woods.

* * *

Kisame assessed the wound on his hand, blood dripping down his arm. It wasn’t healing quickly, but with his chakra it would eventually close.

It was not the wound that had annoyed him but the look on the girl’s face. He knew that she would try to escape shortly after regaining consciousness, it was why he had tied only her hands and not her feet. It was obvious that she didn’t know what she was doing or where she was going.

He had found her unconscious by Itachi’s feet, who explained that they needed to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. There was something that Itachi needed to take care of while in the Fire country, which was why it was just him now. Shortly after finding the girl, they had received a message from Pain.

“What is going on?” It was clear from his tone of voice that he wasn’t happy, though he really was never happy.

Itachi had explained everything that had happened, from what had happened in Amegakure till now. This wasn’t what had pissed Pain off, it was the fact that their situation had drawn too much attention, especially from Konohagakure shinobi. Kakuzu and Hidan probably got a worse reprimand since they had disobeyed orders. In Kisame’s opinion, him and Itachi would have dealt with the situation better if Kakuzu and Hidan hadn’t shown up, ready to kill the girl.

“Who is she?” Pain asked.

“A rogue ninja from Kirigakure,” Kisame had said. “Like Itachi said, she has a unique ability to manipulate blood. “… Should we kill her?”

Pain was silent for a long moment, considering what he said. “No,” He finally said. “Don’t kill her. Keep her alive.”

Kisame frowned, not expecting that answer from Pain. Perhaps he was interested in the girl as well, but he only shrugged. Perhaps now was best to keep an eye on her, or maybe Pain wanted her to be part of the organization. There were a few rogue ninja who worked as spies for the Akatsuki, but Kisame doubted the girl would agree to do something like that now.

Now as Kisame looked at his bleeding hand, he knew he was right. The girl would agree to no such thing, especially the way she had reacted just now. There was something in her expression… He had crossed a line, he shouldn’t have grabbed her that way. While Kisame enjoyed fighting and violence, he respected his comrades’ wishes or tried to. Touching or grabbing someone, especially a girl the way that he did, was not right.

He wasn’t _that_ kind of man, the thought disgusted him.

Now, he had to figure out what to do with this girl… He still didn’t know her name. What was her goal? He could go and try to talk to her at least, pry information from her. No, she wouldn’t tell him everything and he couldn’t force anything from her. She was clearly furious and he decided that he would wait a few minutes, for her to calm down. Then he would speak with her. He would never forget the way that she looked at him, that hateful and murderous look. It was clear from the way that she lashed out at him, had threatened him that… She had been hurt, in the past.

Well, she was from Kirigakure. A lot of people had suffered in that village, he had lived through the Bloody mist, killing his comrades and supposed friends. Perhaps she had experienced such things as well. He wasn’t going to assume that this was the case, he wasn’t going to assume that they had anything in common, but the girl was running for a reason.

After the bleeding in his hand stopped, he took Samehada and changed the wrappings on the sword. They were still covered in blood from killing those Konohagakure shinobi and his robe was stained with it as well. While he worked, he contemplated on what he would do next… He would meet with Itachi again most likely in a few days, the Uchiha had track someone down somewhere in the Fire country.

When Kisame was done, he put Samehada on his back and looked down at his hand. Where the girl had bitten him, there was now a scar. He scowled as he looked at it, remembering the way she had lashed out at him with all of her strength. In that moment, her anger had driven her to try to kill him but she still had the sense not to try. But why hadn’t she? Surely, her rage would have driven her to fight him, to try to kill him. She didn’t fear him exactly, but she certainly didn’t want to waste her time fighting him or risk fighting him.

Which was unfortunate, because he really wanted to fight her, actually fight her.

He paused as he heard someone approaching him from behind, turning he raised an eyebrow as the girl paused a few feet away from him. She didn’t seem angry anymore but she wore a cold expression on her face, her eyes assessing him. For a few seconds, they both looked at each other in silence until she broke the silence.

“You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?” She asked, begrudgingly.

“I could.” Kisame replied. “… But I wouldn’t want to risk you causing another scene.”

“Are you talking about back there?” She snapped, pointing her hand in the other direction. “That shit show?”

“Yes, that shit show…” Kisame retorted. “You’re lucky that Kakuzu and Hidan are gone now. They no doubt still want nothing more to kill you. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt that that once they are done they’re current mission, they’ll make it their priority to hunt you down, despite our leader’s orders.”

She flushed, looking down. “Is that why you stopped them?”

“Don’t be fooled, I don’t protect people because I’m a good guy with a big heart… I’m not that kind of person. But you already knew that didn’t you?”

“God, like that wasn’t obvious,” She snorted shaking her head. “Look, I know about you and the rest of you… About Hidan and Kakuzu. What happened in Amegakure… That was my fault, but Hidan killed a man for no reason, other than to probably piss me off.”

The girl went silent, crossing her arms and clenching her jaw. Looking away from, she looked out into the forest wanting to avoid his gaze, no doubt. At least she admitted she made a mistake, though Hidan shouldn’t have been screwing around in Amegakure. This was both their faults, now Kisame was left to deal with this girl.

“What’s your name?” He asks.

She stared back at him, eyes narrowing. “Hamako.”

“Hamako Chisuke.” He mused aloud, cocking his head. Kisame debated what to ask her next, but her expression softened slightly as she stared off in the distance. “What do you want?”

“What?”

“You ran from Kirigakure, now I’m not going to ask you why… Because that’s none of my business-“

She cut him off by saying, “I’m looking for someone.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t know where he is,” She said shortly, turning away from him. “… But he definitely won’t be here in the Fire country. I’m thinking I could find someone who might know where he is, maybe in the Land of Hot water.”

“That’s where I’m heading.”

Hamako turned back towards him, eyes flashing but then she frowned. “Are you implying that _you’re_ going to take me there.”

“Yes,” Kisame said, smiling. It was a good idea, he could take the girl to the Land of Hot Water, since he was going there anyway. Plus if killing her wasn’t an option, perhaps he could convince her to work for the Akatsuki. She was a good fighter and possessed a rare and dangerous ability, she would do well in the Akatsuki.

“Where is your partner?” She asks. “Itachi, I mean.”

“He has business to take care of here…”

“So… It will just be me and you, going there then.”

Kisame smirked, seeing her face fall as the realization dawned her, that it would be just him and her travelling to the land of Hot water. The former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the mist, now part of the Akatsuki and a rogue Chisuke kunoichi. He saw the defeated expression in her eyes, that scowl appearing on her face.

Kisame turned and began walking towards the destination, “We should get going,” He called to her. “And don’t worry, I don’t bite, unlike you.”


	8. Chapter 8

Hamako knew that she had gotten herself into a rather unfortunate predicament. Though what her and Kisame had decided on wasn’t so bad. Still, Hamako did not like the fact that she was now travelling with the S-Classed criminal. This man could kill her any minute, she knew that she couldn’t trust him. But if she tried to run away, he would chase her down. Knowing what this man was capable of, he would probably try to cut her legs off or injure her so that she wouldn't be able to get away from him... He would probably do that, Hamako decided it was best not to test that theory.

Perhaps he was doing her a favor by taking her to Yugakure, she had never traveled outside of the land of Water before. Still, she kept alert as they walked towards the border of the Fire country and to the Land of Hot waters. The sun started to dip in the sky, the blue sky turning orange and pink, the forest beginning to grow darker. It was May but it was already hot in the Fire country, she had to take her cloak off because she felt so unbearably warm.

She looked at Kisame, who still wore that ridiculous Akatsuki cloak. Wasn’t he hot in that cloak? There was no way she could wear a cloak like that while travelling in such hot weather. He looked at her and she quickly looked away, flushing slightly. Unlike her, he must have been used to this hot weather, since he was always travelling.

“What?” He asks, still looking at her.

“Nothing.” She replied curtly, pulling her hair back in a ponytail. It had grown quite longer, past her shoulders, perhaps she would cut it soon. It was sticking to the back of her neck, which was damp with sweat.

Kisame didn’t leave her alone but prodded her again, amusement in his voice, "Feeling hot?

“Yes,” She replied, sweat sliding down her back. “I’m wondering how you can wear that cloak when it’s this hot.”

“I’m used to it. Though it wasn’t always that way. Fire country always gets very hot around Spring and Summer and even I admit, that I find it quite unbearable… It would be better by the ocean, wouldn’t it?"

“Hm,” Hamako murmured. “Then I could just jump into the fucking water, rather than dealing with this heat.”

She longed for the sound of the ocean, to walk barefoot along the sandy beach. In the Land of Water it was more humid but here in this country it was hot and drier. A sense of longing came over her, she had no love for Kirigakure but she found herself missing her home country. Kisame was right, her body was so used to the weather there, she was struggling in the Fire country’s heat.

And it was only May, it would no doubt get even hotter around July and August…

She was so lost in thought that she had almost walked right into Kisame, who had stopped. Stepping away from him, she looked towards where he was looking. Relief crashed over her at the sight of sparkling water through the trees, a lake by the look of it. An exasperated sound escaped her mouth and she almost ran to the water in excitement. Kisame looked back at her and she forced her expression to be neutral, trying not to act overly excited at the sight of water.

At this point, the sky had begun to turn even darker, Kisame made his way towards the water. “We can rest here for tonight.”

 _‘Thank god,’_ she thought as she followed him. He settled down by the trees but she made her way towards the edge of the lake, admiring the water.

Hamako tossed her bag to the side, undoing her hair and taking off her sandals. Later, she would worry about her hair later. After taking off her black arm bracers, she dove into the water. She swam underneath, streaks of light illuminating the blue green-water and then she came up for air, sighing in relief.

Forgetting about Kisame and not bothering to see if he was watching her, she floated on her back in the water, closing her eyes.

* * *

Kisame watched as Hamako had basically bolted towards the lake, jumping in the water. He was taken a back slightly by her excitement, still watching as she drifted in the water as the sun sank and the moon appeared in the sky. She had her eyes closed, floating on her back in the water as the moon reflected upon the lake. Despite the amount of danger she was in, how tense their situation was, she seemed to be at peace.

Unbuttoning his cloak slightly, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Hamako came out of the lake dripping wet, clothes sticking to her body. She had her back turned away from him, but she pulled off her shirt dropping it onto the ground beside her. An uneasy feeling came over him and he knew it was best to turn his eyes away now, to let her change privately.

 _‘I’m not a pervert,’_ He reminded himself, though he still found himself staring. Dammit, what was wrong with him? First off the girl was clearly much younger than him and he had known her for less than a day. He forced himself to turn away but something caught his eye, something on her back.

She had taken her bra off, her upper body completely bare. Her back was criss-crossed with a few scars, but it was not the scars that had caught his attention. Spread across her toned back was a tattoo, a katana running down her spine with snakes interweaving around the blade, swallowing their tongues. There was something written down the blade, which pierced through a lotus flower, the petals bursting forth as to flow with the snakes bodies.

On the tattooed blade it said _jaku niku kyō shoku._ Kisame sucked in a breath, staring in admiration at the very words he believed in.

The saying meant this: The weak are meat, the strong eat. A term for survival of this fittest, something he believed in from his experiences growing up as a ninja. He knew that it was common saying but seeing it tattooed on her back, with the blade and the snakes represented it more. The flower, no doubt was meant to represent fragility, weakness which was why the katana was stabbing through it. The snakes swallowing their tails of course were a sign of infinity.

Hamako hadn’t noticed him staring but he forced himself to turn around, to look away. But he would not forget the sight of that tattoo, he had seen tattoos but that one was personal… It was beautiful, he had to admit, though it was not a word he used often. He thought that maybe they didn’t have much in common, but perhaps they did. Just seeing those words tattooed on her back had shaken something in him.

No, he would forget it, he would force himself to forget about it. She was just another Kunoichi and he was an S-classed criminal, she doubted that he had wanted anything to do with him. He remembered the way she had almost killed him earlier when he grabbed her, she wouldn’t want to be friends with a man like him. Even though she wasn’t angry anymore, there was no doubt that she hated him, especially now with what they were going through.

He heard footsteps approaching from behind, Hamako walked past and settled on the ground a few feet away from him. She had changed into dry clothes and laid down on the grass, resting her head on her backpack. For a long moment, she laid there staring up at the clear night sky. Above them, the moon shone full, stars sprinkled among the black sky. He pulled his gaze away from her, staring up at the sky as well, the forest around them still and silent.

There was a long moment where both of them said nothing, a warm breeze blowing through the trees. Hamako was still awake her breathing even and when Kisame looked to her, her eyes were on him.

“Can’t sleep?”

She was silent, looking at him before asked. “What’s the Akatsuki’s goal?”

“Why would I tell you that?” Kisame said, crossing his arms and leaning his head back against the tree. “Besides, isn’t obvious to you already? You know about us, so you know about what we’re doing.”

“Yeah...” She said quietly. “I know… But what’s the point of collecting all the Jinchuuriki?”

Kisame looked down at her, but her eyes were looking up towards the sky again. “No more war,” He said gruffly, looking away. “Real world peace, that’s what we hope to achieve.”

“Is such a thing possible?” Hamako asked. “I mean… World peace and all that shit.”

“With the right power, it could be.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Why?”

Hamako was quiet for a long moment, then she rolled over, facing him. “Because no matter what you do, no matter what happens in the end… People crave violence, people want something else and they are willing to achieve that by whatever means possible. Whether that’s by fighting or torturing and raping people, or killing children and letting people suffer. You can’t just erase all the bad in the world, there’s always going to be bad people and those kinds of people are always going to try to start these shitty wars.”

Kisame stared down at her and then leaned forward, suddenly she didn’t look comfortable. “You’re right about that… But you and I, we’re not good people are we?”

“There’s no such thing as a good person,” She muttered. “People may think they are good but in reality, everyone, especially in the Shinobi world is bad in their own way.”

“So, you wouldn’t want to change it?” Answered Kisame, thinking about what she was saying. “You wouldn’t peace for this world and all who live in it?”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I really don’t care. Like I care about what happens to everyone else anyways…”

“Really?” He asked, more quietly.

“Yeah…” She says softly, looking away from him. “I don’t care about anyone I mean, no one’s really cared about me. If anything, I would choose to leave this place, find somewhere peaceful to stay on my own.”

 _‘Somewhere peaceful,’_ He thought looking down at her again, thinking back to the tattoo on her back. She caught him staring and looked away, rolling onto her back again. Silence stretched again, but her body didn’t relax, still stiff and alert as she laid there on the ground. Again, his thoughts lingered to her bare back, the way she had moved out of the water gracefully, the scars lingering on her pale skin…

He almost bit his tongue to stop thinking about such things. He was no stranger to sex but he didn’t let his thoughts linger to such things, or at least he tried not to. Distractions, they were distractions and he let himself openly admire her body when he barely knew her. ‘Don’t touch me,’ the words she had said earlier had stuck with him, there was something terrible and haunting in the way she said them. Kisame wouldn’t do such a thing again, he did want to fight her but he would not harm her in any way.

 _‘Because you don’t want to kill her or is it simply because Pain said not to?’_ He was obviously no stranger to killing, so attempting to kill her would have been easy enough…

It would still take a couple of days to get to the land of Hot Waters, especially at this pace. He wondered exactly what Hamako was hoping to find there, or who she was looking for. After a few minutes, her body visibly relaxed and there was only the sound of her soft breath and the rustling of the leaves in the breeze. Kisame stayed awake, eyes trained on the forest around him.

* * *

_The water had been clear before, but now she could make out shapes in the water. What where they? Were they fish?_

_She looked down, crouching lower… The water wasn’t blue but red, smelling strongly of rot and flesh. The shapes in the murky water became clearer, they weren’t fish, but…_

_Bodies, people, dead people. They reached their hands towards her…._

* * *

Hamako’s eyes snapped open, heart beating wildly in her chest. A few blinks of her eyes and then she saw the starry night sky overhead, her heart beat slowing now. It was always hard to focus after the panic of a nightmare, some nights were harder to relax than others. But as she focused on those few stars, she began to relax slightly.

She turned her head towards Kisame, who still sat in the same spot, unmoving. He either didn’t notice her or decided to ignore her completely, as he didn’t say anything or look towards her. Kisame looked to be deep in thought, eyes starting forward distantly. She wondered what he was thinking so intently about.

Rolling over, she tried to go back to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come at all. There was nothing but silence and she certainly didn’t feel like starting a conversation with Kisame now that she was awake. There was nothing else to do but to think about everything that had happened, or was happening now. She had no plan right now, which was bad and she had no idea where Eiichi could be, she was only guessing that he could be somewhere East.

She could not bother with finding him but she knew that was a bad idea. If she disobeyed him, then the consequences wouldn’t be good.

He had not even died, he had possibly attempted to fake his own death and then escaped the village. But why even pretend to be dead? She knew that her sensei was strong, but he wasn’t a wanted man, was he? If he was, she wouldn’t be surprised considering he was powerful and dangerous after all. She didn’t know everything about him, he had never revealed any of his secrets to her, only a few basic things.

Then there was the past… Things she didn’t try to think about, things that she tried to block out. Even then, there seemed to be nothing but violence. Her thoughts lingered back to Kisame… How long would she have to deal with the Akatsuki member?

Hopefully, not for much longer. After this was all over, she would not see him, ever again.


	9. Chapter 9

_The Chisuke Clan’s weakness was poisons._

_While they were extremely skilled and powerful, they tended to avoid poison. Apparently, poison or a certain kind of poison could affect their blood manipulating abilities._

_It is not known exactly which poison hinders their ability._

* * *

_It was the middle of Winter, when they had come. Through the darkness and the heavy snowfall, she almost didn’t see them. But she could just make out the shapes shifting and moving through the darkness, coming towards her home._

_Confusion swept over Hamako as she watched them approach, sitting on the deck of her home. She had been playing in the snow, flakes still caught in her long hair, wrapped in warm clothing. She was too young to understand but she had parents, but they weren’t her real parents… What happened to her real parents? She never knew but perhaps one day she would find out._

_Mother opened the door and froze, seeing the figures coming towards them in the snow. She was a Shinobi, like her real parents probably. But mother chose not to fight anymore and had retired from being a Shinobi, choosing to live in this small village instead._

_“We’ll raise her to be a good Kunoichi, a true ninja,” Her father had said to her mother, who had pursed her lips in thought, contemplating what her father had said._

_“We don’t do that anymore,” Mother said after a long moment, more quietly so that Hamako wouldn’t hear. “Remember? We both promised that we wouldn’t lead a life of violence, we won’t fight anymore… I can’t live that kind of life anymore.”_

_Her father nodded, placing a hand on her back. “I know and that’s why we’re no longer in Kirigakure. But she should learn how to defend herself…”_

_Silence stretched between them, then father spoke again. “… Kirigakure ninja are unpredictable and dangerous. They could come and try to take her way, it’s happened before, to other children especially.”_

_“Hamako,” Mother hissed, fear heavy in her voice. “Get inside now.”_

_“Mother…?” She whispered, memories of the conversation her parents had drifting away, till there was the present before her. “Are they coming to take me away?”_

_Mother ran to her, picking her up and carrying her inside of the house. There was a pained and worried expression on mother’s face as she hurried through the small house. Hamako had never seen her like this before, her face taught and pale. Father didn’t say anything, but he nodded to mother and then ran to one of the other rooms, grabbing something… Weapons._

_They came into her parent’s room, mother moved the futon aside. Putting Hamako down, she gets on her knees and pulls open a hidden panel underneath the tatami flooring, it was small but big enough for Hamako to fit into._

_“Hamako,” Mother says gently, squeezing her hand. “I need you to hide in here and be quiet, okay?”_

_Hamako only nodded and slid into the space, tucking her knees into her chest. She was scared but if she did what mother asked her to do, then she would be alright. She could go back outside and play in the snow. Without another word, mother closes the panel and leaving her in the pitch black darkness._

_Minutes passed, or was it hours had passed? She didn’t know how long she stayed there, but her body was starting to cramp up, sweat sliding down her forehead. Mother and father would be alright, perhaps she could come out soon? Another long moment of silence passes… It was quiet, too quiet. What was happening out there?_

_Mother and father had still not come back._

_They did not come after another long moment, a nervous feeling building up inside of her belly, her chest. It was getting too hot inside of the space, too lonely. She dared to open the panel and peek out from her hiding space. The room was dark and silent, but she swore she could hear voices from farther down in the house. It sounded like they were… Fighting?_

_As the voices came closer, she shut the panel, hiding back in the darkness. They came into the room and she knew that these people weren’t mother and father. Their footsteps were too quiet and slow, compared to mother and father who walked rather loudly._

_The voices that spoke were muffled, but they were unfamiliar voices. Hamako squeezes her eyes closed, covering her mouth to keep quiet. One of the unfamiliar people walks over her hiding spot and then pauses, perhaps figuring out her hiding spot… If they figured out there was a hidden panel in this floor, that she was hiding in here, if they found her…_

_What would they do if they found her? Would they kill her? No, they couldn’t do that, because she was just a child. She would stay hidden and find her father and mother after, then they could stay here… Things would be as they always had been, safe and peaceful. The people still hadn’t left the room… How much longer would they stay here? Hamako kept her eyes closed, breathing quietly._

_Finally after a few minutes, they left but fear kept her frozen in her hiding place. Then she moved as silently as she could, opening the panel and sliding out onto the floor, closing the panel quietly. She stood up on sore and shaking legs, quietly making her way through the house. It was quiet, meaning that the strangers were finally gone… But where were her father and mother? They would be back soon, they wouldn’t abandon her here in this village. Hamako moved to the entrance of the house, the door was still open, letting in the cold winter air._

_The first thing she saw was the blood, the second was the foot prints in the snow._

_There was not a lot of it… But there were drops leading away from the house, then she realized that they were in the house as well. Perhaps one of the men had been injured and were bleeding, but how?_

_Hamako froze at the door, looking towards those foot prints. It had stopped snowing and she could see clearly where the foot prints led to… Where mother and father would be, were they still out there? They must have been. Automatically, she started to move, following the foot prints as she ran through the cold snow. Night was beginning to fall, the nearby houses were silent and dark and the air started to become even cooler._

_Why was it so quiet? Where had everyone else gone? Surely the other villagers would be out as well… She stumbled, falling into the snow and came to the forest…_

_Hamako stopped, her breath catching in her throat as she looked towards the trees, at the two figures laying in the snow. When she came towards her, nausea swept over her as she could barely make out the faces of her mother and father, their faces covered in blood and her mother’s clothes ripped and her body broken. All of a sudden, everything became blurry and her vision turned spotty as her mind tried to comprehend what was happening._

_She barely saw the figure silent appear from behind the trees, watching her._

_“Ah…” The deep voice caused her to snap out of her panic and look up. The man before her was clearly a Shinobi, wearing the Kirigakure headband and vest. He chuckled as she stepped away from him, determined to run away. “Where did you come from? Here I thought that we had dealt with all of you… But you must have been hiding.”_

_Hamako couldn’t speak, as she backed away, the man approached her a smile curling on his lips. “Now, now… Do you really think you can run away? You’re just a little brat with no experience. It’s going to be easy to kill you, like these other people. It’s a good thing I stayed behind, or else I wouldn’t have found you…”_

_The man draws his sword, lowering it towards her. An overwhelming sense came over her but her feet didn’t move, mother and father would tell her to run… But she couldn’t run, there was something making her stay. She felt something flow through her, some power that she had never once sensed before. Hamako looked at the bodies of her parents, she felt devastated, shocked… And angry, furious. She was too young to understand everything that was happening, but she knew one thing in that moment._

_She didn’t want to die._

_Hamako exploded._

_She couldn’t make sense of it all, but it was fueled by her anger… She felt her nerves itching to release this energy inside of her. In this moment there was nothing but the heat of her anger and devastation, the man’s scream was short and then she felt something warm splatter onto her face and body, blood. Red, all she was seeing was red… Everything else seemed to be a blur. One moment, she looked at the bodies and what was left of the Kirigakure man and then she was running._

_The door slammed behind her._

_Hamako ran into the washroom, stumbling. She washed the blood away, scrubbing her hands raw and splashing water onto her face._

_Everything had changed, in just a few hours she had lost everything._

_Everything._

_She had nothing else. What could she do? It was clear that there was no one else left in the village, they had all been slaughtered by the rest of the Kirigakure ninja. She could stay here… Try to survive on her own, but she didn’t know what else to do after that. It was winter, if she tried to walk to a nearby village…_

_She could, she could try. Or she could find someone who could help her get to… Kirigakure. It was maybe the best place to go, mother and father used to live there, maybe she could find someone there to help her._

_“Mom… Dad…” She whispered, remembering the way they had lain dead in the snow… Tears spilled down her cheeks and her body shook at the horrific memory. Not just of her parents but of what she had done to that Shinobi._

_What had she done?_

_She knew that her real parents were gone, her real parents were Shinobi maybe. But mother and father never told her about them and never told her about what she could potentially do. In fact, when they had taken Hamako, they had moved from Kirigakure to this smaller village. Mother didn’t want her to be a Shinobi, she wondered why for so long, but now it was starting to make sense._

_Hamako wasn’t just a Shinobi, she was a demon._

* * *

The next day brought more pleasantly cool weather, a nice change from the heat wave from the past few days. Kisame looked up at the clear blue sky, then turned his gaze towards his current travelling companion, who walked a few feet behind him.

It was clear that Hamako was in no mood to talk today, in fact she looked rather upset. Last night, he noticed that she had woken up and when she fell asleep again, she tossed and turned, muttering things while she slept. It was clear that she was having a nightmare, but he knew it was best not to approach her about it. She had not slept well, from the tired look in her eyes and the dark circles as well.

He was used to silence, considering Itachi wasn’t one for small talk. So Kisame let the next few days pass in silence, deciding not to push Hamako, who was clearly not in the mood for small talk. She was certainly closed off, choosing to walk as far away from him as possible as they traveled. Sometimes her gaze would travel to him and as soon as he looked towards her, she would quickly look away.

The silence between them was not pleasant, more of a strained and tense silence. Kisame still couldn’t understand why he felt that way, felt as if he had seen her or met her before. His days back in Kirigakure were almost a blur to him now, choosing to not think about those days at all. He wished for at least some conversation with her, something to talk about, he couldn't really stand the tense silence between them

It was when they got to the Village Hidden in the Hot springs that Hamako finally turned to him and spoke to him.

“Tell me one thing.” It was not a question but a demand, her gaze sharp as she looked at him. She had pretty eyes, he had to admit that.

He cocked his head at her, as they walked through the village’s streets. “What?”

“Why didn’t you kill me?” She asks, more sharply. “… And don’t say that it’s because it would have been a waste, that it’s because of my ability.”

“Well, it’s true… It would have been a waste to kill someone like you, especially considering your talents.”

“Fuck off.”

This time, Kisame raised his eyebrows.“That’s awfully rude.”

“Is it?” She snorted, stopping and facing him. “I’m just trying to figure out why you haven’t killed me. Kakuzu would have killed me considering my high bounty, so why not you? I’m sure the Akatsuki needs money, what better way to get more by killing a Shinobi from an extinct clan, who murdered a bunch of other Shinobi while escaping her village?”

“Ah,” He chuckled, amused by her attitude. “Me? Well, yes I could have done that, but I don’t care much for money… Kakuzu’s our treasurer after all, so that’s what he mostly does. But as for me I don’t fight or kill for money.”

“Right. You do it because of your ego, because you like to test your strength against other opponents just to make yourself feel better.”

For the first time since meeting her, Kisame felt irritation as she said this… Was she mocking him? She did not shy away as he glared down at her. Of course she wouldn’t, it seemed that Hamako was in the mood for a challenge today and didn’t want to back down. They had agreed on taking turns on being on watch during the night time, but whenever she had slept, it seemed to be fitfully or she would have nightmares. 

Maybe the lack of sleep was making her cranky.

“You and me are from the same village, the village that pitted Shinobi against each other to the death…”

She snapped, face contorting with anger. “Do not compare yourself to me!”

“Why?” He asked stepping closer to her. “I was only stating that we’re from the same village. I wasn’t stating that we’re alike, but both of us are murderers are we not?”

“Fine. Yes, we are. But for different reasons…”

“… And what’s your reason?” Kisame asked, quietly.

Hamako’s face fell, her eyes going downcast. Then she turned away from him and began walking away, her back stiff.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” He called out to her, without really thinking about what he was saying. She stopped, turning back to him with a raised eyebrow. “I… I mean I didn’t mean to pry into your personal business…”

“I know,” She said, her eyes staring off to the side. She frowned slightly, then shook her head. “Thanks for respecting that at least.”

Ah, well that was probably the first time in a few days that she tried to sound nice. “Where are you going?”

She was quiet for a long moment, looking around at the village. It was night time now, the lights from the restaurants and shops casting a warm glow on the streets. Hamako looked around in, her gaze curious yet also lost… Clearly, she was not sure of what to do next. Kisame sighed, not in the mood to stand out here for much longer, he was wanting a nice meal and a drink, especially after a few days of travelling.

“Well, I was planning on finding somewhere to stay and have something to eat.” She grumbled, slouching slightly as she continued to look around.

“I know of a place.” He stated, walking down the street again, hesitantly she followed him, glowering as she walked.

* * *

“We only have one room available.”

Hamako gritted her teeth, staring at the man behind the desk of the inn. She had hoped to be rid of Kisame after their days of travelling together, days that she was wanting to end and to get away from him. She had to admit, it wasn’t so terrible, considering Kisame did not attempt to pry into her personal business again, being rather respectful.

_But_ it did not mean that she was going to share a room with him. No, absolutely not. Of course, the day that they arrived in the Hidden Hot Water Village, almost all the inns had been full, except this one that they came to. One room, there was only one room left and from the way that Kisame was looking at her, he was going to suggest that they both share it.

No, no way in hell.

“Don’t even suggest it,” She hisses to him, his expression clearly amused.

“Suit yourself,” Kisame shrugs, not even saying anything to her about sharing the room. The inn, the ryokan, had hot springs of course which sounded divine. But Hamako was willing to sacrifice a soak in the hot springs to sleep outside if she had to, rather than share a room with Kisame.

“… There’s an extra futon, in case your girlfriend changes her mind.”

Hamako nearly screamed at what the man had said, feeling her face get hot. She storms out of the inn, holding back curses as she crosses her arms and doesn’t dare look back at Kisame as he follows. Girlfriend? She had barely known him for a few days, she couldn’t believe that’s what the man had thought of them…

“Don’t worry, I corrected him.” Kisame said, coming up beside her. “Didn’t want to give them the wrong impression, you know?”

Hamako rolled her eyes at him, face still flushed. “Good for you.”

They went into a small restaurant, sitting at one of the tables near the back, out of sight from other people. The place wasn’t full, only a few people sitting, eating or talking quietly over drinks. A few feet away, a man and a woman sat together, heads bent close together, hands clasped together by their drinks. She couldn’t held but notice the way that they looked at each other, as if nothing else around them mattered.

She was snapped out of her reverie by Kisame’s voice. Hamako turned to him and she noticed his gaze had followed hers, towards the couple at the table. The woman caught him staring and quickly looked away, possibly uncomfortable with Kisame’s unusual appearance.

“What?” Hamako asks, looking at him again, arms crossed. Why had she stared at that couple? She didn’t know, but perhaps she was always curious… About those kinds of relationships, about falling in love. Not that she had ever experienced it herself, not that she ever would.

He gazed at her for a long moment. “Nothing…”

“Okay…” Hamako sighs, not buying it. “Say it.”

“Say what?”

“What you were trying to say to me before.”

“Oh, I was only suggesting that if you do change your mind, you can stay in that room. Don’t worry, I won’t try to kill you in your sleep or anything.” Kisame says, smirking slightly.

‘Kill you in your sleep’ Hamako raised any eyebrow at that, surely he wouldn’t try that, it was unlike him to try to kill someone in their sleep. But even Kisame would have his guard down… Wouldn’t he? The idea was perhaps not the greatest one, but if worse came to worse, could she do _that_? When she thought of the odds of her winning against Kisame in a fight, she wasn’t sure if she could. She could however, out maneuver him again, like she almost did before.

“Fine,” Hamako said, attempting to sound annoyed about the idea of sharing a room with him. “If you promise not to kill me in my sleep… Then I guess I’ll stay there for tonight.”


	10. Chapter 10

Hamako dipped further into the hot water of the hot springs, leaning her head back against the edge of the pool. She was trying to relax, trying to relish in the nice warm water, but she was also attempting to plot her next move. Now was the perfect opportunity to take down Kisame, especially since Itachi wasn’t here.

She had thought of the possibility, on and off but then pushed those thoughts away. Of course, Kisame would also have a high bounty as well… And that meant more money that she needed. Not just that, but the Akatsuki were infamous and if she took down one of their strongest members, she would be respected. Would Eiichi praise her for being able to do such a thing? The thought made her… Excited? Perhaps, she could do it. But she didn’t get her hopes up about it, she needed to stay focused and not be too egotistic.

There were two options: She could attempt to kill him or wait till he was asleep and then run away. She could immobilize him with her ability for a bit and then run… Or kill him. There were many other factors to consider of course, Itachi was coming to the Village, he could be here now for all she cared. Or he could be here in just a few hours, she had to do something before Itachi came here.

Then there was the figure that had been watching her on the streets… Where she was talking to Kisame, most likely some one had been watching them then. Kisame had never said anything about it, or perhaps he had never even noticed, his eyes had been glued to her after. She shuddered slightly, thinking about the way he looked at her… Every time he looked at her now, there was some sort of intensity in that gaze, as if he was trying to figure her out.

Did he figure out her intentions? Who knew… She was careful with her composure and expressions, when they ate. She did not want to give anything away about what she planned to do. But there was no doubt that he was also planning something, considering he had not even attempted to kill her… Yet.

Hamako stared at the wood panelled wall that separated the women’s hot springs from the men’s side… He was there now, most likely, sitting in the water. What was he thinking, plotting? She abruptly turned her thoughts else where, trying not to imagine this S-classed criminal sitting naked in the hot springs.

‘Disgusting,’ She thought. It wasn’t the idea of a naked man that disgusted her, but the thought of picturing Kisame like that almost made her shudder. Of course, she wasn’t innocent in that way, but there was no way in hell that she would ever see Kisame that way.

She stands up and gets out of the hot springs, wrapping a towel around her. Dismissing those thoughts from her head, she heads back inside and quickly showers, washing her hair and body. Hamako tensed again at the idea of heading back to the room, because _he_ would most likely be waiting there now… It was different when they were travelling and they slept outside, but staying in a room with Kisame made her feel uncomfortable.

Hamako dug her clothing out of the basket, but then something slipped out from her clothing… A small scroll. Her heart lurched slightly, she knew that she wasn’t carrying this before so someone must have been in here and left it with her clothing. She looked around, but there was no one else in the changing room. It was quite late so there wasn’t anyone else in the hot springs, so whoever it was, had snuck in here and left quickly.

Hamako opened the scroll and read what was inside of it. Eyes scanning over the words over and over again, she closed the scroll and took a deep breath.

Thankfully, tonight she really would be free of Kisame Hoshigaki and she would find her Sensei.

* * *

_Out here, there was nothing but the sound of their feet crunching in the snow and their breaths as they finally descended into the small village. It was a tiny village, what was left of it anyways… The first thing Kisame had registered was the stench of blood and corpses._

_“Shit,” One of the other Shinobi on his team growled, face scrunching in disgust. “They really killed all of them didn’t they?”_

_“Yeah, they didn’t leave anyone alive.” One of the Kunoichi said, then her eyes took in the scene before them, they had stopped near a clearing. There, on the ground was two bodies… A man and a woman, their bodies almost completely covered in snow._

_This winter had proven to be quite harsher than the others, even Kisame felt a chill as they took in what had happened here. He saw the blood, then the home not far away, the door still open. There was a lot of blood on the ground and when he looked closer, he saw body parts strewn about. Farther away, he could make out the rest of the remains, seeing the Kirigakure headband in the snow._

_One of the other Shinobi whistled as they looked at the mess. “Well… What did that?”_

_“What or who? Whoever did, they ran off somewhere…” Another Shinobi murmured, eying the scene. Kisame was silent, ignoring their hushed voices as he walked towards the home. Blood trailed into the house and he opened the door further and walked inside._

_It was clear that someone else had been here recently, the floors were smashed and belongings were scattered everywhere. He sniffed, smelling blood and another scent… The scent of whoever was here recently, along with another. Slowly, he walks through out the home, assessing everything until he enters the last room._

_There, in the floor… The wooden panel was open, revealing a hidden spot, he walked towards it and bent down. It was small and it was empty, revealing nothing inside. Except there was a human scent, meaning that someone was hiding in here when those Shinobi had come and slaughtered the people here. A child of course, would have been able to hide in here._

_The rest of the Shinobi had looked into the other homes and they disposed of the bodies. There were a few children, one of them only an infant, it’s lips blue and skin grey. No one said anything as they buried the bodies of the dead, the silence stretching on and on as they buried the dead and looked through the houses again. Kisame stood in thought, thinking of the bodies they had buried. There were few children, ones who definitely wouldn’t have been able to escape the Shinobi who had come to this village, meaning that if there was someone hiding in that house, they had been taken…_

_He wondered why they would have taken the one child… What was so special about them? As he stood outside of that house, he could pick up the familiar scent going towards the trees. Frowning, he looked towards that direction then down at the remains of the dead Shinobi._

_They would not stay in that village for too long, they would eventually have to go after who ever had done this. That was if they were able to track down the Shinobi who had done this, Rogue Shinobi. The snow began to fall lightly again, his eyes gazed up towards the sky, memorizing the scent._

_That scent…_

* * *

Hamako was taking her sweet time, or she was perhaps trying to avoid coming back to their room. Kisame smiled slightly at the memory of her expression, he had to admit that the way she scowled was funny. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, or else she would probably outright attack him, especially since she wasn’t in such a good mood.

Her grouchiness was almost gone after they had eaten, but she had refused to drink. Apparently, she didn’t drink often, refusing even just a bit of sake. Such a serious girl and she tended to be quite temperamental, though she did seem tough and stubborn. But he wondered if there was a different side to her, underneath that tough exterior.

As his thoughts drifted to her, he heard the sound of light footsteps outside the room, pausing at the door. Slowly, the door opened and she stepped through, avoiding his gaze as she closed the door behind her. Her dark hair was still damp and her face slightly flushed, dark lashes fluttering as her gaze hesitantly flickers to him.

“Hi,” He says casually, arms crossed behind his head as he laid on the futon. He took off his Akatsuki cloak and wore no shirt, her gaze widened slightly as she gazed down at him and then flushed even more. Scowling, she dumps her bag on the floor and lays down on the other futon, not meeting his curious gaze as she stares up at the ceiling. Kisame can’t help but chuckle and her eyes flicker back towards him.

Of course, an experienced Shinobi such as him would have the body to prove it and her eyes clearly noticed that fact. It hurt to admit, he wasn’t deemed an attractive man but perhaps his muscular body made up for that fact.

“What?” She growls as he continues to laugh, her scowl deepening, though he could see that she was clearly blushing. “Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t staring…”

“Well, you kind of were…”

Hamako groaned, rolling onto her side and facing away from him. “I’m going to sleep now.”

“Hm, okay.” He grumbles, staring at her back. Her clothes clung to her skin, hugging her body, the edge of her shirt trailing up and revealing the pale skin of her back. Kisame could just make out the edge of the tattoo, his eyes wandering down her spine, to her legs…

He was expecting her to turn around and glare at him, tell him to stop staring… But she didn’t. Minutes passed and her body visibly relaxed, breathing softly as she fell into sleep. Kisame tore his eyes away from her and laid on his back, closing his eyes.

* * *

A few hours later, Hamako opened her eyes, forcing herself to wake up. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She blinked a few times, slowly and quietly pulling the blanket off from her body and then rolling off the futon. She stood up, taking the note that was in her pocket and then reading it over.

Outside of the village, that was where she had to go…

Hamako dared to look over at Kisame but… He was asleep, fast asleep. His back was turned to her and for a long moment she stared back at him, biting her lower lip. Not tearing her eyes away from him, she crept quietly to the door but still he did not move. She wanted to laugh, was he really so foolish as to fall asleep, letting her get away? Did he trust that she wouldn’t run away in the middle of the night?

Well, the truth was… She wasn’t his captive, so he had no reason to try to make her stay. Unless he was going to force her into the Akatsuki, the idea of that made her stomach turn. Hamako wouldn’t want that, she especially didn’t want to be involved in the same organization who had just tried to kill her. Kakuzu and Hidan would still be wanting to kill her no doubt, those two were notorious for not getting along but they both agreed that she needed to die.

Hamako hoped that she wouldn’t have to encounter those two again.

She had all of her belongings and was outside in the streets quickly, her feet carrying her to her desired location. Every few minutes she would look behind her, but no one seemed to be following her… Not yet. The moon was full in the night sky, illuminating the forest as she made her towards a copse of trees. The steam rose from the hot springs in the villages, silence blanketing the whole town.

There in the trees, stood a figure. They emerged from the shadows, eyes locked on Hamako as she approaches her. The figure was a Kunoichi with cropped black hair and a tattoo running from her temple to her jaw, her dark green eyes assessing her.

“Hamako-San,” She greets her formally, bowing slightly. “I’ve heard much about you from Eiichi-San.”

The last words made her stiffen slightly, “You know Eiichi?”

“Yes,” She says smiling slightly. “I am Yui, me and Eiichi have been acquainted for a few years. I am also from Kirigakure… Formerly.”

“Another rogue ninja,” Hamako mutters, not surprise. As she assessed the girl, she thought she recognized her from somewhere. But Hamako had met so many Shinobi and Kunoichi that their faces almost started to blur.

Yui only chuckles, running a hand a long her shaved head. “Yes, you could say that. But now is not the time for a conversation like this… I will take you to where Eiichi is.”

“Okay.” Hamako says, her mouth going strangely dry. The prospect of seeing Eiichi again had made her excited but also nervous… For a moment, she thought of Kisame again, the way he had taunted and teased her. But… The realization had struck her then, he wasn’t a terrible man, not the man that everyone else said he was. She gritted her teeth as she thought of him again, back in the village…

“Eiichi-san is an intimidating man, I will say that for certain.” Yui says quietly, Hamako noticed the strange expression Yui made as she said this, but then she smiled. “… The man doesn’t like dawdle, that’s for certain.”

“Yes,” Hamako agrees quietly. “He doesn’t.”

For a moment, her feet felt rooted to the ground but she forced her body to follow Yui through the trees. But as they walked further away from the village, her thoughts wouldn’t stray away from Kisame Hoshigaki.

* * *

He shouldn’t have been surprised that she was gone.

When Kisame woke up, his eyes went first to where she was the night before… But there was only the futon and the blanket tossed aside, everything Hamako brought with her was gone. For a long moment, he stared at where she had been laying a few hours earlier, something coming together in his mind.

Her scent… Those eyes.

Kisame often had dreams and nightmares, from his days back in Kirigakure. But after waking up, he remembered something, it had struck him in his dreams last night. His eyes were glued on her not just because… Because she was attractive, but he recognized her from somewhere, he just couldn’t recall from exactly where. But as the past few days, he recalled events… Pulled them like threads from deep within his own memories, things he thought weren’t important.

14 years ago in a small village, where a group of rogue Shinobi had killed all of the villagers. The one house that had the hiding place, a scent lingering there. Then there was the Shinobi who was torn to pieces… No, ripped apart with _her_ ability.

The day he left the village, he was in that alley… He saw a girl, a girl with those same eyes. She was so tiny, so frail and gaunt that he was surprised that she was alive. She had stared at him with horror but also some kind of determination to live, blood on her hands and clutching the money she had stolen from that drunk Shinobi. He was… Surprised, shocked to see a child that day in the alley. Orphan children would commonly die on the streets, but here was one who was still alive, fighting to live.

Hamako Chisuke had escaped death two times. She had some how gotten away from the slaughter in that village and survived as an orphan on the streets of Kirigakure. He was a fool, just putting the pieces together now… After knowing her for a week, he had just realized that he had crossed paths with her years earlier.

Kisame laughed, staring back up at the ceiling of the room. It wasn’t until a few minutes of silence had passed that he realized how… Lonely he was now, even more aware of the silence in the room. His eyes trailed to the door, which she would have left through only a few hours earlier, sneaking away as quietly as she could.

Maybe he should have been mad that she had escaped so easily, but he found that he wasn’t… Kisame was disappointed though, who knew if he would ever see her again?

Perhaps one day they would cross paths again, Kisame hoped so at least.

* * *

The sun was starting to rise as they approached a run down building in the woods, a few Shinobi guarding it. Yui noticeably stiffens slightly as they approach the building, the Shinobi staring them down. Their expressions don’t waver as they see Hamako but something glistens in their eyes as they look her up and down.

“He’s inside,” One of them says softly, not tearing their gaze away from them. Moving aside, they let them pass beyond the threshold, Yui sliding the door open.

Hamako’s heartbeat picks up speed and she has to force herself to calm down… She shouldn’t be afraid, she could explain everything to Eiichi-Sensei, she would tell him the truth. When they enter the room, her eyes were glued to him instantly… He sat on the floor, smoking a cigarette. His skin was decorated with more scars and age had caused his skin to wrinkle, but there was still the same fierce and terrifying expression he wore.

Eiichi looked up at them as they both stopped before him, his expression didn’t change as he looked at Hamako for a long moment. He continues to stare at her, his eyes assessing her from her face down to her body and she suddenly felt cold. But she forced herself to remain calm, not to second guess her choice to come here.

She had no choice but to come here, if she hadn’t… Eiichi would have done anything to bring her back.

“Leave us, Yui,” He says calmly, putting out his cigarette and crossing his arms. Yui nods and turns, brushing past Hamako and giving her a strange look as she leaves. What was the point? She didn’t live to be happy, she lived to survive. Hamako knew that being here wouldn’t bring her joy, but she could survive if she stayed near her Sensei’s side.

An awkward and tense silence stretched after Yui leaves, Eiichi stands up and turns towards Hamako.

“Eiichi-Sensei-“ She starts.

The next second, her face is smashed against the wall, his hand grabbing her hair. Pain shoots through her as she feels blood trickling down her nose, gasping as he presses her against the wall. She forces herself to move, attempting to grab him from behind but he clutches her wrists in his hands.

“You wouldn’t dare use your ability on me, would you?” He hisses. “That has always been my rule with you, Hamako… Never use your ability on me, after all, I rescued you from dying in the streets of Kirigakure. Remember that.”

“Y-yes…” She groans, never forgetting that rule he always made clear during their training.

He growls, never letting her go. “Do you know why I am angry with you?”

“I can take a guess…” She murmurs, then he lets her go and throws her to the ground. Hamako sits up, ignoring the pain in her body and wipes the blood away from her face. “I mean, I can explain, Sensei.”

“You don’t have to,” He says, crouching down before her, eyes locked on her. “Because it was quite the news… Hearing what you did to that Akatsuki member in Amegakure, then escaping. I heard that they attempted to hunt you down but you managed to escape.”

Hamako nods, looking back at him. “Yes. I didn’t want to risk a fight with the likes of them, they’re dangerous.”

“So you ran away instead?”

“Sensei…”

“Stop.” He snapped, eyes flashing. “I have nothing more to say about your cowardice. I trained you well enough that I believe you could have at least taken one of them down.”

“Is that what you wanted me to do? Kill them?”

Eiichi snorted. “It would have done everyone a great favor if you did.”

Hamako felt her stomach drop. If he knew about that… Surely, he knew about Kisame and Itachi as well, but his face didn’t betray anything, didn’t say that he knew about that. He turns away from her, grabbing something from the corner of the room.

“Next time you happen to meet one of those Akatsuki members face to face, don’t even hesitate to fight them or kill them.” He demands, putting his sword on his back and turning towards the door.

Hamako murmurs okay, then follows him. She waited… Waited for him to say something about Kisame Hoshigaki, but he didn’t. She knew now that he would have had someone spying on her, knew that he was testing her in his own way. Whatever he had planned next, he expected her to follow him… She would of course, because she had no other option now.

As they left, she turns her gaze back towards the direction of the Hidden Hot Springs Village. Would he still be there? Surely by now he would discover that she was gone. Then he would leave and reunite with his partner… They would most likely never cross paths again.

Hesitantly, Hamako turns away and follows Eiichi, Yui and the other Shinobi towards her new life.

* * *

_End of Part 1_


	11. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> I just want to quickly say thank you to everyone who has been showing this story so much love. It really means a lot to me and I'm really happy that you're enjoying it.  
> Since we're at part 2 of the story now, I thought I would share my spotify playlist for this story... Yes, I made a spotify playlist for it! It's called Blood & Water on spotify.  
> Here is the link for the playlist as well: spotify:playlist:0WNYxUcvd0FOzLv5hB0nV5

_Part 2_

_Water_

* * *

Days turned into months, then a year and a half passed… The weather had slowly started to become cooler again, leaves falling to the ground. The days had often seemed to blur together so much that he would often lose track of time, but Kisame was aware of the passing time.

He turned down the alley, which was illuminated by the glow of lamps, giggles and drunken laughter coming from inside the buildings. He was in no rush to be anywhere in particular, though Itachi was somewhere around this village… They were in a village in the Land of Rivers, many people wandering the streets, from drunk men to couples linking arms as they passed by. His eyes trailed a young couple who passed by him, they looked no younger than 20. The girl was blushing as the boy pulled her along, their laughs echoing down the alley.

Kisame scowled slightly, turning away… It wasn’t that love was a strange concept to him, he had experienced attraction and lust. But of course, he had sworn to not let those feelings go deeper, knowing they could cloud his judgement, knowing it wasn’t possible for a man like him. Because he was an S-classed criminal and looked unusual to everyone else, mainly being deemed unattractive.

“Hello!”

He turned his head, staring through the flaps of what looked to be a brothel. Two women sat at the doorway, both in loosely tied robes and wearing makeup. They looked at him with keen interest and Kisame stared back, raising his eyebrows at them. They giggled slightly, waving him over…

Kisame smirks, walking towards them.

* * *

“Ah…”

The woman’s moan is followed a by a growl from Kisame’s own mouth as he thrusts harder into the whore, his hands gripping her hips. She yelps, body stiffening as his thrusts become more urgent and fast, forgetting everything else and only focusing on this moment.

Clearly, the woman wasn’t used to a man of his size, she places her hand on his and urges him to stop. A frustrated growl escapes his throat, almost cursing as she pulls away from him and faces him. “Am I hurting you?”

“You are a little rough,” She says huskily, pushing him down onto the futon and sliding down onto his erection. She gasps and he grits his teeth as she places her hands on his chest and begins to ride him slowly, almost too slowly. His hands grab her breasts as she begins to pick up her pace, moaning loudly.

“Is… Is this better?” She gasps, sweat dripping down her temple, breasts bouncing as she rides him faster. He groans, grabbing her ass and encouraging her to go harder, faster… For a moment, he imagined that instead of this whore, it was someone else on top him. Another girl who wouldn’t have hesitated to go faster, harder, while he stared up at her blissful face, hands on her thighs, her breasts…

He saw her in that moment, eyes blazing violet… Her face flushed, scared face twisted in pleasure. Kisame cursed, wanting to destroy that image but in the exact same moment, his orgasm came. He threw his head back, groaning loud as he released into the woman and then let his body relax, heart pounding in his chest.

“Who’s Hamako?”

He blinks, looking to the side. The other girl, who had lighter brown hair, sidles up to him on the futon, looking at him with a curious expression. This close, he could see that her eyes were a hazel color, light freckles dusting her cheeks. The girl on top him, moves away and lies down on his other side, gazing at him with that same curious expression.

Damn, he would have been enjoying this a lot more if _that_ girl’s face hadn’t come to his mind mid-sex… Did he really say her name when he climaxed? What the hell was wrong with him? He had met Hamako a year and a half ago now, had only known her for a few days, a week… But since then, her face had never left his mind, along with the image of her bare back and that tattoo she had.

“A kunoichi I met a while ago,” He answers, letting her touch him as they laid there.

The other girl, darker haired and paler than the other giggles slightly. “Only a kunoichi? I was expecting her to be a former lover…”

Kisame chuckles at this, but then frowns. “No, it was definitely not like that… I had only just met her, knew her for only a few days… About a year and a half ago.”

 _‘Yet you think about her all the damn time, don’t you?’_ He thought. _‘Even after that, you still think about her, because you realized that you’ve met her before…’_

Kisame turns his head towards the lighter haired woman, smirking as her hand trails down to his hard manhood. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like talking… How about we go another time, shall we?”

* * *

“No, that’s too much!”

Yui rolls her eyes, slapping the weapons back down on the table. Hamako watched with raised eyebrows as Yui’s eyes go from the weapons back to the man selling them. “These aren’t even nicely made, why are you even charging that much for them?”

“Hey! I’m just trying to make ends meet,” The shop owner snaps back, eyes flashing. He was missing a few teeth and an eye, a black bandana covering his missing eye. A former Shinobi, from the looks of it. “… Plus, I know these weapons are in high demand, so of course I’m charging that much for them.”

“They’re not even worth buying.” Hamako points out, flicking a hand towards the kunai knives and shurikens. “They’re in bad shape. It seems like your just selling old hand me down ninja weapons.”

The shop owner spits at her feet. “Listen you bitch, don’t tell me-“

The old man barely finished what he was about to say, Hamako had him frozen in place, face turning purple as she used her ability to freeze his muscles, to cut off his breathing. The past year and a half had not been wasted… She had done her best to improve her abilities, expanding on what she had already known. It wasn’t easy, she had to push herself but she knew it would be worth it.

Plus, Eiichi didn’t really give her an option. He was adamant on making sure she became stronger.

“Hamako…” Yui warned, looking at her with disapproval on her face. “I know how you feel but I think it would be a waste to kill him.”

“Right,” Hamako agrees, letting the man go. If she were to kill this man, she would cause another ruckus like she did a year and half ago… Something that Eiichi would punish her for. The thought made her angry, why did he always control her? Why did she always listen to him?

The shop owner’s eyes are fearful as he looks at her, she leans in staring into his eye. “I would be careful what you do and say. If my friend here hadn’t held me back, I would have killed you.”

They both turned away from the shop without another glance, Yui chuckling lightly as the people on the street parted for them. They were here in this village to buy supplies, clothing, the essentials… So far, Hamako had only bought some clothing, but no new weapons or anything else for that matter. She had noticed a book shop earlier and was eager to check it out, she had developed a fondness of reading ever since she learned to read and white. While other ninja may not have enjoyed reading the history books, she enjoyed reading them in her spare time. Not just history books, but fictional novels as well, the good part was that Eiichi never judged her for her love of reading. It was the one thing she could do that he didn’t openly judge.

“Hey,” She turned her gaze to Yui who was looking at her with that strange expression again, her head cocked. “Do you want to meet back up later? I think I might go this way.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hamako asks, they were in one of the villages in the land of Rivers. While it seemed like most of the people around them were just civilians, she didn’t doubt that were a few Shinobi and rogue Shinobi as well.

Yui just rolls her eyes, snorting. After spending so much time together, Hamako came to the conclusion that Yui was a much more laid back Shinobi, something that she found interesting. It was also nice, because she considered Yui to be a friend, though she tended not to make many friends… Yui was the one person who had always listened to her or stayed by her side this past year and a half.

“Let’s meet near the inn in 2 hours, okay?” She winks, walking in the other direction. “Don’t worry, I won’t ditch you!”

Hamako can’t help but smile slightly, watching as Yui disappeared into the crowd of people. It was night time now and she took a moment to take in the sight, the sounds and the smells… There was a warm and friendly atmosphere around her, causing her to relax slightly. She decided to make her way to that bookstore, walking slowly while she took in the sights around her.

The store itself was almost empty as she stepped through the door, the owner nodding at her. A cat lounged on the front counter, but perked up as Hamako entered the shop. There were shelves filled with books, fiction, romance in a variety of different colours, their spines displaying the names. The scent of ink and paper overflowed in the shop along with the scents from outside, meat and spices from the restaurants.

She slowly walked through the different aisles, letting her fingers trail along the spines of the books. There were so many! For once, she felt happy to just stay here and look at all these books, but how was she supposed to pick which ones to buy when there were so many to choose? She sighs, staring blankly outside to where the people milled about.

The sight of a black cloak with red clouds made her freeze, she dared to look closer at the figure that walked through the streets. The people gave him a wide berth as him and another figure in the same cloak walked through the streets… She was relieved to see that it wasn’t Kakuzu and Hidan, but…

It was Kisame Hoshigaki and… Oh, it wasn’t Itachi that was with him, it was a different Akatsuki member. The man was shorter, though Kisame was very tall compared to other ninja. The other member had long blonde hair, Deidara. She had seen his face in the bounty book, his partner in the Akatsuki was Sasori from Sunagakure. Hamako relaxed slightly but then froze again as the Deidara’s eyes locked on her…

She leaped behind the shelf, hiding. Crap, he saw her staring at them. Would he say something to Kisame? She didn’t doubt that he would, considering that she was almost openly gawking at them. The sight of Kisame had shocked her, though realistically, she shouldn’t be surprised that she would see him again. If he spotted her, he was of course going to make an effort to come see her… Damn it, why did she hide? She was being a coward, Eiichi was right about that.

Hamako took a deep breath and forced herself to relax, she walked from behind the shelf and looked outside. They were gone, that was good. Perhaps they had continued onto where ever they need to go next. She needed to meet Yui in two hours, but she needed to find somewhere to lay low now just in case the Akatsuki were still in the village.

She remembered Eiichi’s words from that time, when he had called her a coward for not trying to kill the Akatsuki members she had encountered. She could have but she didn’t, why didn’t she? Because Eiichi couldn’t make these decisions for her. She had gone almost two years without his guidance, she could go longer without it…

It was a terrible realization, knowing that she wanted to be free of Eiichi but knowing that he wouldn’t let her go. She wasn’t happy where she was, but where could she go, what could she possibly do? The only reason she was here, that she stayed was because of Yui, who treated her with kindness, kindness a person like her didn’t deserve.

Hamako turns around, trying to focus on something else. But her good mood from before had left her, feeling emptiness now. She hated that her current situation left her feeling like this, now she was no longer in the mood to find something to buy. Well, perhaps she could go and find somewhere to have a drink or few… She used to not drink, but Yui had often brought her along for sake and then Hamako herself ended up having a few glasses.

She turned around, but when she turned the corner, she almost walked right into someone… Then almost yelled at who was standing right there in front of her.

Kisame smiled down at her, his eyebrows raised. “Well, it’s been awhile.”

“Um…” She stammered, flushing. “What are you doing here?”

When did he even get here? How long had he been standing there? Hamako was certainly a fool for not noticing that he was here, watching her most likely.

He cocked his head. “Well, my comrade saw you staring at us when we were walking by… I couldn’t believe him at first, who would have thought that we would cross paths again?”

“I’m just as surprised as you are, honestly.” Hamako shrugs, then notices that Kisame is holding something in his hands, a book. “What’s that?”

“Oh, this? Well, it’s a book obviously… I thought since you were looking for one, maybe you would like this.”

Not trusting the mischievous smile on his face, she snatches it from his hands. It’s an orange book and she raises an eyebrow as she sees that it is a book written by one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. The title read ‘Make out paradise’ in bold red letters with the image of a man chasing the woman. Her face heated as she looked at the book and then looked at the back and saw that there was an 18+ rating on it. Hamako attempted to hide the blush on her face as she realized just what book this was, Kisame looked like he was about to burst out laughing at her expression.

“… Have you read this or is this a joke?” She hissed, holding the book up into his face. “Because I think you’re trying to fuck with me.”

“Honestly? I haven’t read any of these books… But I’ve heard quite good things about them.” Kisame laughs, then points towards where the other books are displayed. “One of Konohagakure’s most powerful ninja reads them all the time.”

“… Okay?”

“I’m sorry,” He says, holding his hands up. “I was only joking. I didn’t think that you would be into this type-“

He trails off as she goes to the shelf, eyeing the books there. Hamako reaches up and pulls the rest of the books from the series, the Make out paradise series off the shelf. Turning around, she brushes past Kisame who is staring at her and goes to the counter, setting the books on the counter and pulling out her wallet.

“Just these?” The shop owner asks, his eyes flicking from Kisame to Hamako.

“Yes,” She says with a smile on her face and with another glance between them, the man puts the books in a bag and she hands him the money. The cat which was lounging on the counter before, walks over to her and she scratches it’s ears, the cat purring in delight.

“Ah, you… Have a good evening.” The shop owner says nervously, obviously uncomfortable with Kisame now only standing a few feet away, his gaze still on Hamako.

She turns to him, cocking an eyebrow. “Well? Let’s go.”

As soon as they are out on the street, Kisame says. “I… Didn’t expect that you would actually buy the one book… But the whole series?”

“I did it to prove a point,” She says, looking up at him.

For a long moment, Kisame is oddly silent, staring down at her then he bursts out laughing. A few people walking by, stare at him but she can’t help but chuckle as he continues to laugh, wiping his eyes and trying to compose himself.

“… Did you laugh so hard that you cried?” Hamako snorts, not exactly sure of what to think of that.

“Yes…” He admits, clearing his throat. “I just… That was so unexpected. I didn’t think you would actually do that, but the look on the shop owner’s face was pretty great as well.”

“I’m pretty sure he was afraid of you.” She points out.

He shakes his head. “No, he was looking at you strangely, because you were literally just standing there and hiding behind the bookshelves… Meanwhile, I went in there and it took you way too long to notice that I was there.”

“I was not paying attention!” Hamako retorted, remembering what she was thinking about. “I had a lot on my mind… And no, it was not related to erotic books.”

“Ah,” He murmurs, crossing his arms and looking down the street. He doesn’t say anything else for a long time, his mind seeming to wander. Hamako could pick up a different scent from him, distinctly female… She almost flushed again at the thought of him spending time at a brothel, though she wouldn’t think of him _that_ way.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you borrow them when I’m done.” She offered, in an attempt to break the silence.

She had been so caught up in that moment, not really taking into consideration of what she was doing. Hamako shouldn’t be here, talking to Kisame Hoshigaki on the streets of this village, she should be going somewhere else, far away from him… It was almost like back then, a year and a half ago. She had grown soft, for the first time in a long time, she had experienced friendship with Yui, now that she had known what that was like… She wanted to experience more of that, it was soft and kind, not all hardness and pain like being an emotionless Shinobi.

“Hamako?”

She had become absorbed in her own thoughts again, she turned her gaze back up to Kisame who looked at her with a slight frown on his face. “What?”

“I was asking if you want to go have a drink somewhere,” He asks, trying to sound casual but there was a hesitant edge to his voice as well. “Or do you not drink?”

“Actually, I do.” Hamako says, smiling. “Let’s go have a drink or a few.”


	12. Chapter 12

Kisame couldn’t keep his eyes off the girl that was walking a few feet in front of him, the girl that he had been thinking about just a few hours earlier… Hamako walked casually, her attitude different from when they had first met. Rather than treat him with outright hostility, she had talked to him with more friendliness. He didn’t say anything, but there was clearly something on her mind, from the way she had stared off blankly back in the bookstore.

He almost flushed at the idea of her reading those books, though he hadn’t read them he had a good idea of what they were about… This moment, what had happened there, it didn’t really seem real. He felt like he was suspended from reality, he felt… Happy. Kisame hadn’t thought they would meet again, though he hoped for it to happen.

Now she was here, in front of him. His gaze was locked on her back again, her hair had grown much longer, down to her back like a black silken sheet. She still walked with her back stiff and straight, as if prepared for an attack, her eyes darting around and looking for someone or something. Kisame remembered the realization that he had come to the day she had left. Was it best to leave it be or could he talk to her about it?

What as the point though? It was all in the past anyways.

The village was starting to become more quiet as they sat down at a low table in a bar, people giving them obvious stares. Hamako didn’t say anything for a long time, though when they got their sake, she almost chugged two glasses. After another moment of silence, she looks at Kisame again, a question in her eyes.

“So…” She says quietly. “What brings you here exactly?”

“I was just passing through,” Kisame replied casually. Of course, there were certain things she couldn’t discuss with this girl, despite enjoying her company.

“Hm, okay.” She shrugs casually, slowly taking another drink of her sake. “I guess there’s no point in asking what you’ve been up to.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re not really supposed to tell me. Plus, I think I have a pretty good idea anyways.”

“Ah,” He murmurs, the atmosphere had changed between them, growing more serious. “You don’t mind?”

“No, it’s your business.”

He holds his glass to his mouth, staring at her for a long moment. “You’ve changed… I didn’t think you could act so casual.”

“… Have I?” She blinks, looking down at her hands. “Well, I guess a lot has happened in the past year, I mean after we met that is.”

“You learn a lot after you leave your village, huh?”

“Yes,” Hamako nods, pouring another glass. Damn, she really did drink a lot now. “I’m not going to lie, it’s nice not being in Kirigakure anymore… I felt constricted there, but out here, when I’m on my own, it just feels… Right.”

Kisame looked at her closely, noticing that there were bags under her eyes, the tight line of her mouth. There was definitely something she was hiding, something that she didn’t want to talk about, he understood what that was like. He had forced his own pain away for years, had tried not to think about it and that had almost nearly destroyed him. Hamako was from Kirigakure, of course she had suffered when she lived in the village.

“Can I ask you something?” He asks, without really thinking about how he’s going to say it. She looks at him, her eyes inquisitive. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Okay,” Hamako nods, lashes fluttering as she blinks. Her gaze turns downwards and her expression seems to become more closed, mouth tightening as she gazes downward.

“You remember that day… When we first met?” Kisame asks, then shakes his head. “Well, I don’t think we properly met that day… But… I remember you, from back then.”

Hamako blinks, looking up at him with a surprised expression. “Oh.”

He thinks that for a moment, the conversation will end there but then she says, “Well, I didn’t think you would recognize me, considering I probably looked like a drowned rat back then.”

It was probably meant to be a joke, but her expression had become more closed off. “Not that it was funny or anything,” She adds attempting to brush it off, make the conversation not so awkward. “But I learned quite a lot from that particular experience.”

Kisame mulled over her words, thinking about how she would have survived, especially with her very rare ability. Perhaps, she had been good at hiding, or no one had paid attention to another orphan living on the streets of Kirigakure.

“You’re wondering, aren’t you?” Hamako asks, catching on to what he was thinking.

“Was it obvious?”

“Kind of, but it’s the first thought anyone would seem to have about me. Especially since I’m a women, the last one of an extinct clan.”

Kisame frowns, jaw clenching and then unclenching. “You’re saying people underestimate you just because you’re a woman?”

“It’s something people use against me a lot… And other Kunoichi as well,” Hamako explains, draining another glass of sake. A server brings another bottle to their table and both of them refill their glasses.

“I don’t think you being a woman, a Kunoichi should affect people’s opinions about you,” Kisame states. “Especially since so many powerful Shinobi are women.”

Hamako’s expression changes to mild shock and he almost laughs at her stunned expression.

“What?” Kisame asks after a long moment of her gaping at him.

“N-nothing,” She stammers, flushing slightly. “I just didn’t expect you to say that, I guess.”

“What, that I respect women?” He cocks an eyebrow as she frowns.

“I suppose so,” Hamako says slowly, choosing her words carefully. “I mean people only seem to respect women to a certain degree or they still look down on us, take advantage of us. What I’m trying to say is that there’s a difference between simply respecting women and acknowledging that they are strong and are equal to every other person, Shinobi included.”

_‘Of course,’_ Kisame thought, staring thoughtfully down at his drink. _‘There are still Shinobi who think that Kunoichi are inferior, solely based on their gender…’_

He sighs, then smiles, looking back at her. “I agree with that.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” Kisame shrugs. “I may not be a good guy, but I’ve always thought that way. No one should be seen as inferior, especially because of their gender.”

“Huh,” Hamako murmurs, her cheeks still slightly pink. She smiles slightly, a tight smile and she tilts her head. “That’s good that you think that way.”

“Does that make you like me more?”

Hamako’s response was a kick to his leg, in which he only laughed at causing her to flush more as she downed another drink. But then she laughs, her face growing bright with amusement and the amount of sake she had been drinking. As Kisame looks at her, he thinks that this is a rare moment of happiness for her, to see her laugh so freely.

He wasn’t exactly sure why he had thought this. But he lets the thoughts go as they continue to talk and drink into the night.

* * *

As the people begin to disappear from the streets, it grows darker as shops and restaurants close their doors and the lights are turned off. Still a few people lurk on the streets, couples tangled in the dark alleys and a few other people wandering the now quiet streets.

A few lurk in the shadows, in the alleys and alcoves near a bar. From the bar, laughter and the sound of glasses clinking come from inside, the only place alive this late at night. They watch as a girl sits at near the back, visible through the front entrance. She might have looked like any other regular girl, but what was distinguishable about her was the tattoo peeking out from the sleeves her shirt. When she turned around, they could just make out the familiar violet eyes and the small scars on her face.

She is too drunk to really notice that someone is watching her from the shadows, she turns back around. Another figure walks back to the table and sits across from her, her back straightens as he begins to talk to her.

As they watch them talk in the bar, not paying any attention to whoever is watching them… They slip from the shadows and back into the night.

* * *

Hamako had made a mistake. That one mistake was drinking too much sake… Perhaps, choosing to keep company with Kisame Hoshigaki was another mistake, but she was almost surprised at herself for not feeling regretful about that decision. But, there was another mistake she made, she failed to keep track of the time. Hamako was supposed to meet Yui at the inn where they would be staying… That was two and half hours ago.

“… Fuck’s sake,” She groans as her and Kisame leave the bar. She tries her best to hide the fact that she is almost too drunk to walk properly, but unfortunately, her vision is also slightly fuzzy and her face feels awfully warm. She was never much of a drinker to begin with, so she really should have held back when drinking with Kisame tonight.

Kisame was saying something, but his voice felt far away. Her vision didn’t adjust well to the darkness in the street, as she walked out into the night, everything else seemed to disappear as she stepped forward…

As she almost trips and falls over, Kisame grabs her arm, preventing her from falling flat on her face. Hamako chuckles slightly in embarrassment, but is also keenly aware of the feel of Kisame’s hand on her skin. The skin of his palm is rough, his grip surprisingly gentle as he holds her upright.

“Hamako.”

“I… Uh… What?”

Kisame brings his face closer, so she can hear him. “You’re really drunk.”

“Okay,” She says, flushing more at the nearness of him. It wasn't obvious or anything that she was too drunk to walk.

“My point is, you can barely walk,” Kisame explains slowly, his hand still on her arm. This close, Hamako could feel the heat of his body against her, she was surprised by how warm he was. “Hamako…”

“Yeah…?”

Oh, she had leaned her body back against his, the strap of his sword digging into her back as she looks up at him. Kisame looks amused, placing both hands on her shoulders to keep her steady. “Since you can barely stand, I suppose I should help you get to wherever you need to go.”

Hamako only nods and murmurs in agreement, telling Kisame where she was staying. A part of her knew that this was all wrong, that she had made a great mistake in doing this. But as they walk down the street, Kisame’s arm around her waist, her thoughts don’t trail to the aftermath of her own stupid decisions. When had she ever gone out and truly had fun? This was probably the first time that she had ever gone out to a bar and gotten so drunk she could barely walk.

Whatever punishment she had to deal with, she would deal with later.

Losing track of time again, they soon reach the inn, where the lights from the front entrance spill on the street. But Hamako doesn’t see Yui and thinks that maybe she is inside or gone somewhere else. For a moment, she closes her eyes and lets Kisame hold her up as they stop in front of the inn. He lets her go and Hamako manages to keep herself standing straight.

“Kisame…” She says, but when she looks around, he is gone. Blinking, she looks around again but he had disappeared so quickly… Why?

A disappointed feeling washes over her but those thoughts are abandoned as a voice calls her name.

“Hamako!”

Yui comes towards her from the inn, an expression mixed between curiosity and concern on her face. She looks down at Hamako’s feet, where a bag lays… Remembering what she bought, Hamako laughs as Yui comes towards her stares at her. She didn't even notice, but Kisame must have picked it up before they left the bar.

“You’re very drunk,” Yui says and Hamako can’t tell if she is amused or judging her decision of getting drunk. “ _Baka,_ you can barely stand… Here, let’s get you inside.”

Grabbing the bag of books, she puts her arm around Hamako’s waist and leads her inside. But Hamako feels… Detached from reality, like tonight was a dream. Did she really get drunk with the S-Classed criminal who she just happened to bump into almost two years ago? The same man she ended up travelling with and was definitely not pleased about having to spend time with him.

They enter their room and Yui lays her down on her futon, slipping off her shoes and setting her things beside her. “You should get lots of rest, you’re not going to feel good tomorrow.”

“Sorry…” Hamako mumbles, pulling the blanket over her as she begins to sinks slowly into sleep. Then she remembers Kisame and his sudden disappearance and she groans. From what she recalled, he had also paid for their drinks, even though Hamako had bickered to him that they should have split the bill. They both had drunk a lot, so she couldn’t imagine how big that bill was…

“At least you had fun tonight,” Yui says softly, patting her head and then laying down on her own futon. “… But you’ll suffer the consequences of drinking too much in the morning.”

At this, Hamako only curses, then soon falls asleep.

* * *

When she awoke, her thoughts first lingered to a certain Akatsuki member, the one who had taken her back to the inn last night… Hamako remembered the way he had held her and the feel of his hand on her arm. The second thing she noticed was that she had a pounding headache. She opens her eyes, squinting at the way the sunlight assaulted her eyes. She groans, feeling almost… Nauseous. Hamako was never going to get that drunk again, unless she really needed to she supposed. The only advantage to getting so drunk was she slept soundly last night.

Hamako sits up, rubbing her eyes and throwing the covers back. Beside her, Yui’s futon is empty. Her eyes drift to the bag now in the corner, the one with the books in it. 

Then the door slides open, she looks up expecting to see Yui but it’s someone else instead. Her stomach sinks, Eiichi looking down at her with disapproval in his hard gaze.

“You’re awake.” He says flatly, no trace of anger in his voice. Beneath the haziness of sleep and her hangover, fear begins to swell. She didn't expect him to be here, not this early anyways... What time was it? She had no chance to ask such questions, not while she was completely hung over at least.

“Sensei…” Hamako says quietly, beginning to stand but he comes over and stands over her instead. He places a foot on her belly, pinning her against the floor. Nausea swells again, her blood going cold as he stares down at her… She’s aware that she might just throw up there, it takes everything in her not to.

“I appreciate that you and Yui get along…” He begins, Eiichi’s voice as cold as ice. “But what did I tell you, Hamako?”

She stares back at him, body trembling. Hamako can’t speak, if she opens her mouth, she might just throw up… What, what was it he wanted her to say? She couldn’t remember, that was her first mistake. Eiichi told her to always remember, not remembering would be her first punishment.

_‘Think, think… Think…’_ Her mind begged her to remember. _‘Remember…’_

“You’re not here to make friends. You’re not here to get drunk and have fun, that’s not why you’re here… I didn’t take you off the damn streets just so you could succumb to your weaker emotions.” Eiichi growls, pressing his foot down harder on her belly. Hamako gasps, retching as she struggles to breath, to control herself.

He takes his foot off of her, but the moment of relief is broken as he picks her up and drags her outside. Hamako yelps as he throws her to the ground of the courtyard outside of her and Yui’s room. Her drunkenness is replaced by a sudden heat of anger, of hatred, she manages to get back on her knees and glare up at him.

“You know better than to do that.” Eiichi snaps, standing before her. “You won’t even try to fight me. You asked for this yourself, defying my rules.”

“Since when do you think you can control me?” Hamako blurts out, glaring up at him.

Eiichi laughs. “Are you talking back to me now?”

“I don’t understand what I did wrong,” Hamako shouts up at him, but he still smirks down at her like a child. “We weren’t assigned anything by you, yet you come here and try to control every aspect of my life.”

“Be careful of what you say,” He snaps at her.

“Why? Are you going to kill me?”

“Is that what you want? You want to die?”

He leans down towards her, his expression furious. “You are a tool.”

“No,” She growls back at him, still fighting the sickness she was feeling. “I’m a Shinobi, I’m a person.”

“You may think that, but the end of the day no one gives you a shit.” Eiichi says, his tone more softer. “Everyone you grow to care for will betray you Hamako, everyone will leave you… Look at what happened to your parents, look at what happened when you were just a damned orphan on the streets of Kirigakure.”

Hamako’s only response is a shuddering breath, her eyes not meeting Eiichi’s.

“When you saw the bodies of your parents, what happened? No one came to save you, you saved yourself… When you were just a starving child on the streets of Kirigakure, what did everyone do? Did people feed you their scraps, did anyone offer you warm place to sleep, did anyone help you?”

“N-no…”

“You shouldn’t trust anyone, even if they seem trustworthy…” Eiichi continues. “Succumbing to your emotions is a weakness, Shinobi don’t show their emotions or offer their hearts on a goddamn silver platter to people.”

Hamako laughs dryly, “So you’re saying that love is bullshit.”

“Love? You and I both know that love is weakness, even if love was such a real thing, no one would love people like us.”

Hamako says nothing to that, because she doesn’t know what else to say… Eiichi stands up, then he pulls Hamako up by her arm, the arm that Kisame held so gently last night. But Eiichi’s grip is strong, his nails digging into her skin. “I expect you to go and get yourself cleaned up.”

“Is there something you need me to do?” Hamako asks dully, her gaze on the ground. Then from the corner of her eye, she spots a crow on the ground, staring at them.

“I’m assigning you to another mission,” Eiichi says, walking back into the room that her and Yui shared. “I’ll be waiting, go and get ready.”

He closes the door behind him as he leaves the room, leaving Hamako standing there, her body and head throbbing. For a long moment, she stands there then her gaze drifts to the bag of books, remembering her time with Kisame last night, she smiles.

That moment of relief, of happiness is broken by the thought of whatever hellish mission she must do next.


	13. Chapter 13

Mei Terumi inspects the scroll in her hand, along with the other information laid on the desk in front of her. Outside, the rain pours heavily, pounding against the windows as the wind blows.

Chojuro and Ao stand before her, patiently waiting for the Mizukage to say something about the information she has received. Chojuro’s shoulders are slumped, his gaze turned down towards the floor, Ao looks at him in disapproval. Finally, after a long moment, the Mizukage lays the scroll back down on the desk, looking up at them.

“I don’t quite understand,” Mei finally says. Her gaze turns towards an open book on the desk, the page flipped to the image of a girl, along with the information displayed about her. She then flips to the page displaying a displaying a different Shinobi, one who is marked as dead.

“There have been some confirmed sightings of Eiichi Hoshigaki,” Ao confirms, his gaze following the Mizukage’s.

Mei shakes her head, leaning back in her head. “Yes, I see that… But I’m more curious about the girl. There is no records of birth or any information about who her real parents could be. Which I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised about, considering the fate of her clan.”

“Yes,” Ao agrees, shaking his head. His eye flickers towards the other documents, Mei’s gaze follows his and she looks again at the papers.

“This is what she took before leaving the village right?” Chojuro asks. “Or the information on what was stolen, at least.”

Mei’s frown grows deeper as she stares down at the information. “But why would she take this information?”

“Who knows,” Ao says, shrugging.

“We should keep trying to monitor what they’re doing, though I am more concerned with what the Akatsuki’s plans are.” The Mizukage muses, deep in thought. “Send a few Shinobi out to track them, but they should be careful… This girl was able to slaughter a whole team of Anbu single handily.”

Ao and Chojuro nod, bowing as the Mizukage dismisses them. As Ao walks behind Chojuro, the Mizukage speaks to him.

“Ao?”

“Yes?”

“Tell them to be careful of Eiichi Hoshigaki as well,” She warns. “Both him and Hamako are dangerous, but I believe that Eiichi’s intentions are even more dangerous.”

* * *

She slips through the night, quiet and stealthy. Her feet take her to the estate of the noble family, the silence around it heavy. It is dark, not a single light on inside of the home.

Hamako slips through the gates easily, too easily. Whoever is guarding the place, doesn’t notice as she sneaks past them, having done this before.

Assassination was no hard feat for her. She had done it willingly before, but this time was different. As she sneaks into the home, Hamako can’t shake off the uneasiness she feels as she walks through the halls, her feet leading her to a bedroom.

A sharp breath, then her sword is out of the sheath, inches away from the man behind her. His long hair is disheveled, a look of pure shock on his face. As he looks at her, he pales even more.

“W-why?” He wimpers, clutching his haori. “Why us?”

_‘Because you’re under orders,’_ Eiichi had said to her, while also leaving her more bruises as punishment for that night in the Village.

“Because I was ordered to,” Is the only answer she can think of saying, as she stares at the man in front of him.

Without another word, he gets down on the floor, bowing before her. His whole body shakes, head on his hands as he speaks.

“I beg of you…” He pleads, voice shaking in terror. “Please spare my daughters, they are too young… Please let them live, they deserve to live. My youngest… She’s only a few months old.”

A few months old, a baby… They have children and Eiichi didn’t even tell her. Of course he wouldn’t tell her, because he was testing her. Eiichi was willing to test her in the most brutal ways, he wanted to burn her weaknesses away. But Hamako wasn’t willing to let that light, that small innocent part of her go.

Hamako Chisuke was nothing but a tool, a dangerous Shinobi not worthy of being loved, incapable of loving.

Her katana slides through the noble man’s neck without a second thought. Grief and rage pulling her deeper into the darker, violent part of herself. This was the part of her, who she really was, the reason she survived this hell of a life.

When the bedroom door opens, her tanto plunges into the chest of the man’s wife. The last thing that Hamako sees is her shocked expression and then her lifeless body falls to the floor. This is the most merciless death she could offer them, a quick death, a swift one.

Not bothering to use her ability, she cuts through the servants and maids. Their bodies fall to the floor behind her as she walks swiftly through the home. Hamako hears the baby crying, hears the hurried footsteps as the children run through the house, attempting to escape their fate.

Hamako halts in the middle of the hallway, her hand gripping her sword.

But no matter what she could do, she couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop. She was only a child when she first killed someone, how could she stop now? She was born to take the lives of others. Which is why she keeps going, finding them hidden in the corner outside by the gate. Hamako thinks back to the day she lost her own family, how a part of her wished she had died that day instead.

The clouds move in front of the moon, then the baby starts crying. The night becomes silent again.

* * *

“I am curious, hm…” Deidara murmurs, taking a bite of his dango.

“Curious about what?” Kisame asks, drinking his tea. Itachi sits silently beside him as he always was. It was well known by now that Deidara did not like Itachi, though to be fair, Itachi had beat him pretty good in a fight. A fight that had determined whether Deidara would join the Akatsuki or not.

Deidara had not let his grudge and the embarrassment of his failure go. While Kisame certainly didn’t mind the ‘artist’, Itachi was no doubt, a better Shinobi than him, that much he knew. At least today, Deidara held back his bitter feelings about the Uchiha, his partner Sasori was currently nowhere to be seen.

Deidara takes a sip of his own tea, staring off into the forest. “Kakuzu and Hidan were almost at each other’s throats about someone… That girl named Hamako Chisuke.”

_‘When are Kakuzu and Hidan not at each other’s throats?_ ’ Kisame thought, stiffening at the mention of Hamako’s name. Itachi’s eyes which had been focused ahead of him, now slid to him. Kisame clears his throat, wondering if Deidara knew exactly what had happened back then. It wasn’t too often that the Akatsuki would meet face to face, though it seemed to happen more frequently of late. The only downside to this was having to face Kakuzu and Hidan, who made it a point to give him murderous stares now.

“I don’t believe it was over the fact that Hamako left Hidan in pieces back in Amegakure.” Deidara explains and this time, Kisame almost chokes on his tea. “Though I’m sure that’s part of it, hm…”

But the more Kisame thought of it, an uneasy feeling starts to press down on him. “What exactly were they saying?”

He remembered very clearly, the scent of her… The way she had held onto him, too drunk to walk and how she leaned back against him, her body pressed against his. At the time, he had been only tipsy, but that certain event was now burned into his own memories. Not sure what to say, he had left her there without a proper farewell…

“I didn’t hear their whole conversation, but they were saying some nasty things about her and what they would do to her, hm…” Deidara explains, setting his cup down and then standing up. “Though I’m pretty sure I heard your name come up a few times in that conversation as well, Kisame.”

“Oh…” Kisame’s attempt at sounding surprised was probably obvious, he could feel Itachi’s gaze burning into him. Deidara only shrugs, not saying anything else as he disappears down the road.

“I wouldn’t be so surprised that he knew about that,” Was the first thing Itachi said. “I’m sure Hidan was screaming about it to everyone.”

“Yes,” Kisame agrees, smirking. “What a terrible damage to his ego…”

Itachi is silent for a long moment, perhaps contemplating on what to say next. He hadn’t said much about Hamako, but Kisame was sure he was wary of her and how dangerous she could be. “It surprises me that Hidan and Kakuzu haven’t bothered to take their anger out on you,” Is all he says.

Kisame laughs at this, imagining fighting both Kakuzu and Hidan. “That would be a rather interesting fight… I don’t like to imagine what the outcome of it would be.”

“If you separate them, it probably won’t be so bad. Kakuzu and Hidan work better together as a team after all…”

Hamako was able to take care of Hidan easily back in Amegakure, Kisame would have liked to see that… Hidan had clearly underestimated the girl when he first met her, so it was his fault for being reckless. Though at the time, Hamako had just gotten her first real taste of what the world was like outside of Kirigakure.

“If this continues to be an issue, it is likely that we might have take care of Hamako Chisuke.” Itachi says, looking at him. “Especially since Hidan and Kakuzu seem hell bent on abandoning more important matters and making it their point to kill the girl.”

Kisame wants to laugh at this, but he finds himself feeling… Uneasy. Why? Killing was a familiar thing to him at this point of his life. While it was the Akatsuki’s main goal to find the Jinchuuriki, they wouldn’t hesitate to take down anyone who got in their way. At this point, he had lost count of people he had killed, their names forgotten… But imagining Hamako among all those of who have perished before him, it made him feel uneasy.

He did not like feeling that way, Kisame feared that maybe he was becoming soft and that girl was the reason. “I still haven’t had the chance to fight her yet, but if we have to, then I will.”

Itachi nods, after they finish, Kisame goes to the washroom to relieve himself. He is at the door but stops as he hears a conversation from inside the shop. The women working attempt to keep their voices low, but he can still make out their conversation.

“… Even their children?” One of them hisses in exasperation. There’s the sound of a glass shattering, possibly dropped by one of the servers.

“Yes… The whole family was murdered just last night,” The other server whispers. “Though no one knows why…”

A long beat of silence and then the other woman speaks. “I don’t understand… They were a good family, they treated everyone so nicely. Yes, they were nobles but they always helped those in need. I heard that they had a baby, only a few months old…”

“The baby was killed as well. Everyone in the home was murdered ruthlessly.” There is venom in the other woman’s voice. She continues speaking, her voice shaky. “It was a criminal, a rogue ninja no doubt… You know how many there are these days, they wonder into our shops as if they can do whatever they want…”

The other woman shushes her. “Be careful what you say! There are some here now… Who knows what they will do if they hear you talking about them like that?”

The conversation stops there, one of the walks by and spots Kisame, freezing in her steps. But he simply nods to her and goes into the washroom, thinking about the conversation they had.

* * *

Hamako stands at Eiichi’s side, his back rigid as he talks to the other Shinobi before him. Other rogue ninjas, ones who Hamako doesn’t know or even recognize for that matter. Their attention remains on Eiichi, but a few of them glance at Hamako, their gazes curious. From the warning glance that Eiichi gave them, it was clear that they wouldn’t make conversation with Hamako.

_‘My job is simply to stand here and observe,’_ she thought bitterly. Nevertheless, she paid close attention to their conversation. They discussed the recent events in Konohagakure, to the possibly of alliances growing between the Shinobi countries. A topic that they weren’t too pleased about.

“… But the Akatsuki wants to change all of that, don’t they?” One of them says. “By collecting the tailed beasts, they plan to control the whole Shinobi world.”

Eiichi laughs, taking a drag of his cigarette. “They are fools if they think that they can do that.”

“I wouldn’t underestimate them, Eiichi-San. They’re a powerful organization with some of the most notable Shinobi, though no one knows who their leader is.”

Hamako couldn’t help but agree with what the Kunoichi had said. They were powerful, no doubt… But she wondered what Eiichi’s thoughts about the Akatsuki were. Did he want to eliminate them? If he did, then she was starting to understand why she had been summoned here. From across the room, Yui meets her gaze, eyebrows raised, what was she possibly thinking?

“I suppose we will find out soon who their leader might be, “ Another one of the ninjas says, he is an older man, with round rimmed glasses. “But since they are now no longer hiding in the shadows, I suppose war will be eminent… The same villages who are rumoured to have hired the Akatsuki will now fight against them no doubt.”

“They are becoming a problem.” Eiichi corrects the man, putting out his cigarette. “They seek to end the fighting, the bloodshed, but it was what we Shinobi are born to do, to fight. If this world is at peace, then what kind of Shinobi will the next generation be?”

Yui’s gaze slides away from hers, mouth in a firm line. She seemed to be thinking that same thing that Hamako was thinking. This conversation was going in a direction that Hamako already didn’t like. Did she really believe that Shinobi were born to be violent, that they did nothing but kill? She thought back to those days when she lived in that small village, when her mother would tell her bed time stories and her father would play with her in the snow.

They wanted her to be happy to be raised in peace, but that was stolen from Hamako’s life.

A voice says her name, her gaze falls on the man with the round glasses, his own curious gaze on her.

“You,” He says again, his voice firm. “You’re Eiichi-San’s student, correct?”

Hamako thought that Eiichi would turn the conversation away from her, but instead he says. “I raised her and trained her in Kirigakure, yes.”

“Fascinating. But I’m more intrigued by her abilities. Everyone now has heard about the things she has accomplished, besides, she is the last surviving member of her clan.”

“… Are you going to continue ogling her, or are we going to focus on what we came here to discuss?” Eiichi snaps, but the other man doesn’t flinch, laughing instead.

“Really Eiichi-San, we’re just curious. I appreciate that you keep her close, everyone can’t help but be curious about her and her abilities… Besides, I’ve heard that she was able to escape the clutches of the Akatsuki. Not a task that can be easily accomplished.”

“Mori…” Eiichi warns, but the man, Mori cuts him off.

“She could easily take down Kisame Hoshigaki.” Mori says, a smile on his lips. Hamako suddenly feels strangely light headed, but instead stares down at the man. “We all know you have a grudge against him, Eiichi-San. Perhaps your young Kunoichi here can dispatch of him and you can have his sword, Samehada.”

“… Plus, that would eliminate one of the strongest Akatsuki members. We all know that Kisame Hoshigaki isn’t the most intelligent of the Akatsuki, but he is one of the strongest.” The rogue kunoichi says, her gaze also on Hamako now.

“I appreciate your insight,” Eiichi says coldly, he then stands and everyone else looks at him in surprise. “You’re dismissed.”

“Bu-“

“Now!” He snaps and the rest of them bow and then leave, Mori’s eyes gaze remains on Hamako. To her surprise, he bows to her slightly and then leaves the room. Yui looks at Eiichi who dismisses her as well, Hamako doesn’t move, waiting for Eiichi to dismiss her but he doesn’t. She stood there rather awkwardly, not meeting his gaze as he stands before her.

After a long moment of silence, Hamako opens her mouth to speak but Eiichi presses a finger to her lips. His gaze is demanding. “Tell me something, Hamako.”

“Yes, sensei.” She nods her head, not moving.

“What do you think about the Akatsuki?”

_‘Oh, so that’s what he wants to know…’_ She thinks, eyes locked on his. What did she think about them, the Akatsuki? She dared not to think of one particular Akatsuki member, one who apparently Eiichi hated. “Considering my first encounter with them, I’m not overly fond of them.”

Eiichi cracks a rare, amused smirk. “I appreciate the sarcasm, but I wasn’t asking for your feelings regarding their hostile members… What do you think about their goals?”

“I don’t know,” Hamako answers honestly, not sure if it was the answer that Eiichi was wanting, but she continues. “I don’t believe that you can obtain true peace, no matter what you do. It sounds as if their idea of peace is having complete control of the system… And no matter what you do to change the system, there’s always someone who wants to change that system.”

“… I mean, when you look at what others have tried to do to change their village’s system, it hasn’t worked. And you can’t just erase years of bloodshed by simply taking control can you? If they’re really planning to control the Shinobi world by killing the Jinchuuriki, taking their tailed beasts, it seems as if they are only breeding more violence, not trying to obtain peace.”

Eiichi is quiet for a long moment, studying her. Then he puts a hand on her head, Hamako freezes, surprised at the show of affection. Eiichi never put his hands on her unless it was to hit her or to force her to keep fighting or training. “That’s a good answer… You seem to have a good understanding of what is going on.”

“I’ve thought on it quite a bit.”

“You’re a smart girl, if you weren’t… You would have been dead a long time go.” He says turning away from her. “You may go… I have no need of you for the rest of the day. Consider that your reward.”

Hamako bows then turns to leave, feeling Eiichi’s gaze on her as she leaves. Outside of the building, Yui leans against the wall, eyes closed. The air is warm and humid, Hamako can already feel the sweat trickling down her back as she approaches Yui, who opens her eyes and pushes off the wall.

“Well,” Yui starts, stretching her arms. Her dark hair was freshly shorn, Hamako noticed. “That was interesting.”

“Yeah,” Hamako agrees. “It was.”

“So what’s the plan now?”

Hamako shrugs, looking off into the distance. Beyond the trees, lays the small village that their hideout was close to and beyond it, was the village Hidden in the Hot Springs. She wanted nothing more than to sit in the hot waters of one of the springs, but that wouldn’t help with the grief and despair that she was carrying. How many nights had she lain awake, imagining the blood that was on her hands? But she never cried, because crying was weakness…

Her dark thoughts are interrupted by someone punching her in the arm, Yui throws an arm around her shoulders, guiding them away from the hideout. “Look, I don’t know about you, but… We rarely get the chance to go do whatever we want, we might as well make use of it.”

“Where are we going?” Hamako asks as they walk through the forest and then through the smaller village. A few people glance their way as they walk through and she suddenly feels… Nervous, as if they could see right through her.

_‘They can’t see it… Can they? Or do they suspect that I murdered an innocent family?_ ’ Dread pools in her gut, but Yui again, tries to snap her out of her reverie.

“Look…” Yui says more softly, her arm still around Hamako’s shoulders, more on her back at least. Yui was a few inches shorter than her. “I know that what you did, it wasn’t easy and frankly… Eiichi shouldn’t have made you do that, so I think you and I deserve to relax a little.”

“Yeah,” Hamako says quietly, though whatever they do now won’t erase her regrets.

* * *

It’s late night and she sits in the hot spring, her mind wandering.

Hamako stares down into the water, she doesn’t know how long she has been there… Probably for far too long, but her mind and heart feel heavy, too heavy. So many years she has lived but for almost the first time in a long time, she questioned her own existence. She sinks further down into the water, trying to dismiss the thoughts of what she had done.

She had killed a child, children. How could she ever let that horror go? She never could.

Hamako tried to turn her thoughts somewhere else… Automatically, she thought back to that night with Kisame at that bookstore, then when they were at the bar. If she didn’t think about what Mori had said earlier, she would be more than happy to remember that night with Kisame.

_“She could easily take down Kisame Hoshigaki. We all know you have a grudge against him, Eiichi-San. Perhaps your young Kunoichi here can dispatch of him and you can have his sword, Samehada.”_

She was glad that Eiichi had not found out about her encounter with Kisame, was glad he didn’t know that she had spent a night drinking with an Akatsuki member… If Eiichi knew, he would kill her. Would he kill her? No, most likely not. But Hamako knew that she couldn’t see Kisame again, couldn’t risk meeting him. Even if a part of her wanted to, because there was a part of her that was curious about the man.

Yui must have known… If she did, she didn’t say anything. She had never mentioned it, not even as they had come into the hidden Hot Springs village and drank to their hearts content. But not too much, Hamako learned her lesson last time from drinking too much.

Climbing out of the water and wrapping a towel around herself, she washes off in the showers. After putting on her robe, she walks back to her and Yui’s room. Where was she anyways? Yui had said she would come back later, but she was not back yet. Whatever Yui needed to do, she was taking awhile…

She steps into the room, closing the door behind her and locking it.

Hamako first notices she is not alone. She looks around the room, seeing if they are hiding…

The door behind her slams open, she whirls around. At the open door, are two familiar faces… Her body freezes and she loudly curses as all of three of them stare each other down.

“I think it would be best if you don’t try to run away this time.” Kakuzu says and Hidan smirks beside him, his scythe in his hand.


	14. Chapter 14

“Look…” Is the first thing that Hamako says. “I don’t think now is the right time, can I at least put some clothes on?”

Hidan laughs, though his expression is more angry than amused. “Is that the same thing you said to Kisame, or did you say the complete opposite?”

“What…?”

“Don’t act so fucking surprised.” Hidan snaps, pushing by Kakuzu and walking towards her. “Usually bitches like you are ready to jump on Itachi’s dick… But I suppose Kisame has his good qualities.”

“… He’s also not as smart as Itachi, which means he can be easily persuaded.” Kakuzu adds. “Or seduced in that matter…”

Now it’s Hamako’s turn to laugh, completely shocked at what Hidan and Kakuzu were implying. “You think I was trying to seduce him? You were watching us that night, weren’t you?”

“Believe me, you wouldn’t be the first person who would have tried… People go to great lengths to worm their way into our organization, but not all of us are stupid. Do you really think that we have let you do, after what happened almost two years ago?”

_‘Fuck, now I really need to say the right thing…’_ Hamako sighs, despite being cornered by the very two people who tried to kill her, she feels more annoyed than nervous. “Okay… Now, I don’t know if a formal apology will do. But to be fair, Hidan, you killed a man for basically no reason… While I didn’t care much for the guy, you didn’t need to kill him brutally.”

“Don’t bother saying that, it won’t get through his head.” Kakuzu grumbles crossing his arms, Hidan glares at him, jaw clenched then he turns his gaze back to Hamako.

“So let me make this clear,” Hamako states, holding her hands up. “It was not my intention to fuck with the Akatsuki and maybe I lost my cool by leaving you in pieces there in Amegakure. There, are you happy now?”

“I don’t give a fuck about your apology,” Hidan rolls his eyes at her and Hamako can’t help but flip her middle finger at him, right in front of his face.

All three of them are silent then and Hamako sighs, leaning back against the wall. “So, are you here to kill me… Because you both are awfully quiet. What is your damn intention?”

“Believe me, I would very much like to kill you but I don’t want to cause a commotion here.” Kakuzu says sharply, his eyes on Hidan still who looked murderous. “Perhaps we can discuss things a more civil way.”

Hamako walks over to the low table in the middle of the room and plunks herself on the ground, crossing her arms. Kakuzu still stands at the door, staring down at her and she glares back. After a moment, he closes the door not so gently and sits across from her.

“This is bullshit,” Hidan snaps, sitting on her right side, though his gaze still lingers on her.

“I do clearly remember Kisame telling me that your leader had ordered you not to kill me,” Hamako states, if they are surprised by this information, they don’t show it. “Though that was almost two years ago now.”

“And plans change,” Kakuzu says, matter of factly. “… Any of us could change our minds about one’s usefulness. I won’t hesitate to dispose of someone who I deem unworthy.”

Hamako raises an eyebrow at this, “Did you say the same thing when you failed to kill the first Hokage?”

Hidan snorts, Kakuzu’s stare is absolutely venomous as he glares at her. “You should be lucky that I’ve considered making a deal with you rather than killing you right here and now.”

Hamako smiles at this, a venomous smile, she could feel the multiple hearts that this man had. She supposed that was his way of extending his life. For one sick moment, she imagined herself ripping one out, squeezing it in her hands, feeling the still pounding flesh.

“What kind of deal are you offering?” She asks instead.

Hidan’s eyes flash as he opens his mouth to say something, the door opens again. Kakuzu must have broken the damn lock, she braces herself for another criminal to be marching through that door… But it’s Yui and Mori instead. Hidan goes eerily silent as the two of them walk into the room. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Do you know eachother?” Hamako asks, rather confused now at the surprised expressions on both Kakuzu’s and Hidan’s faces.

“Not this bitch-“

But Hidan’s words are cut off as Kakuzu stands up, “Let’s go, Hidan.”

“I didn’t expect us to meet again like this, but believe me, I’m surprised as well.” Mori says rather calmly, folding his arms. “But Hamako Chisuke works for me and I can’t allow any harm come to her.”

Now Kakuzu looks shocked but Hidan only rolls his eyes, grabbing his scythe from where he left it. They leave so suddenly that Hamako has to blink a few times to really make sense of what is going on. Mori closes the door behind him and Yui comes over to her, sitting beside her.

“We knew that they would be here in the village,” Yui explains, setting something down on the table. “Don’t forget that we have spies and it was clear that Kakuzu and Hidan weren’t going to let you go.”

“I-“ Hamako sputters then looks at Mori, who still stands at the door. He wears a black haori over his ninja attire, a sword at his belt. “You know them, don’t you?”

“I have done business with Kakuzu,” He explains, sitting cross legged on the floor at the table. “I am a bounty master after all, so I’m used to seeing him around.”

Yui picks up what she put on the table, a bottle of sake. “Mori is one of the most well known… Well, one of the most infamous bounty masters there is. It’s one of his specialties.”

“Is that why you work for Eiichi?” Hamako asks, taking swig of the sake straight from the bottle.

“That man doesn’t tell you a lot, does he?” Mori says rather casually. “I would think that since you’re his student, he would tell you more about what he hopes to accomplish.”

“We all know that Eiichi doesn’t just to trust everyone with his plans, especially his own student.” Yui says rather bitterly. Hamako hands her the bottle and she takes a sip as well, tilting her head back in thought. Mori comes and sits at the table, offering a hand to Hamako.

“We weren’t introduced properly,” He says and Hamako shakes his hand, surprised by this man’s politeness. “I’ve heard much about you.”

Hamako laughs lightly at this, “Yeah… Well, I shouldn’t be surprised considering I pissed off two of the most dangerous S-Classed criminals.”

“… Then travelled with one of them,” Yui adds, Hamako freezes and she laughs. “Seriously, you think I wasn’t going to say something eventually? It’s okay, only we do know about that.”

“So, you never told Eiichi about it…” Hamako mutters, clearly remembering those moments with Kisame two years go.

“We are surprised that Kisame didn’t make an attempt to kill you,” Mori adds lightly, pulling something out of from inside of his Haori. A scroll, he places it in front of Hamako and she stares down at it. “Which works out in your favour and ours as well.”

Hamako suddenly feels uneasy at what Mori might be implying. Yui looks at her with a sympathetic expression. “I’m not going to like this next part am I?”

“Hamako, don’t worry… We’re not asking you to kill another person. But since you’ve already made a connection with the Akatsuki, I think it’s best that we use that to our advantage.” Mori explains. “Of course, if you are okay with that.”

“No one has ever really asked that of me before.” Hamako says quietly. If she was told to do something, it was always a demand, never a simple request. To be asked if she was comfortable with her next task was a surprise to her. Of course there were certain tasks she would never be comfortable doing, but her own feelings on the matters usually didn’t matter.

“That scroll contains information from one of my informants,” Mori explains, “Kisame and Itachi are heading towards Iwagakure, most likely to capture the four tailed beast.”

Roshi, the host of the four tailed jinchuuriki… That was who they were after next, most likely to capture the powerful beast sealed inside of him. Hamako had read about the different tailed beasts and their hosts, but she had not yet encountered one of them yet.

They continue talking for about an hour, planning what to do next. Hamako agrees to their plan, looking at the scroll with the information in it… She was supposed to spy on the two Akatsuki members, though why, she didn’t really know. Mori and Yui told her that they didn’t plan to make a move against them, but Eiichi certainly wouldn’t agree with that. Considering Kakuzu and Hidan knew now that she had a connection with Mori, they probably wouldn’t try to hurt her again.

As they parted ways for the night, Hamako steps toward Mori. “I have a question.”

“What is it?” Mori asks at the door.

“You said earlier that Eiichi has a grudge against Kisame,” Hamako says quietly, the one thought had been bugging all night… Wondering what kind of history they had. “Do you know why?”

Mori is silent for a long moment, his mouth in a firm line. Finally he says, “You know that the Hoshigaki clan supported the bloody mist era, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know all of the details and even if I did, I think it would be best if I didn’t tell you.” He says more quietly, looking around. “Eiichi has a lot of secrets and if I were you Hamako, I would have reason to fear him more than the Akatsuki.”

She found that she wasn’t that surprised by the answer, but still, her stomach twisted. “Why is that?”

“Eiichi cares for no one, he only uses people and disposes of them when he is done with them.” Mori says opening the door. “… Once he has no need of you, he will most likely attempt to end your life.”

Before Hamako could reply, he leaves and she is left standing there, thinking about what he said.

* * *

A few days later, Hamako finds herself travelling through the Land of Earth. The weather was getting cooler, so she wore jacket to counteract the chill of the cooler weather. Most of her time had been spent thinking over what Mori had said. What had he said to Eiichi? She knew that the Ninja underworld was complicated and most of all, untrustworthy, but was it that Mori and Yui were trying to work against Eiichi?

But she had been travelling by herself, rather than letting such thoughts overtake her mind… She tried to focus her attention elsewhere.

Hamako had decided to pick up the first Make Out Paradise novel by the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. Most of her free time was spent reading the novel, surprisingly, she was almost done the first book already. Not only was the writing actually decent, but the plot was good… Though she had spent a few moments blushing, then rereading certain parts that were rather entertaining. Well, the legendary Sannin sure knew how to write some steamy scenes, especially steamy scenes regarding the nature of a woman’s body.

The nature of woman’s body and her discovering the feeling of self pleasure… Of course, Hamako had felt not uncomfortable, but rather curious. Sex was not openly discussed anywhere, sex was only talked in regards to breeding children. But sex for pleasure and self pleasure were not things she had really experienced, when she had made love for the first time it was… Alright, painful perhaps. But she had never experienced that climax that others would experience during sex.

But when she read about it, when she thought about it that night, laying in the almost too warm futon, her thoughts drifted… What would it be like, to have someone touch her, to make her body tingle and experience such pleasure those characters had experienced? She closed her eyes, imagining what that would be like, a sensation that was almost foreign to her, but the more she thought about it the more warm she became, her breasts swelling.

Her hand begins to wander, down her belly and between her thighs. Her legs tremble, her nipples achingly hard as she strokes herself, a soft gasp escaping her mouth. Soon her clothes are gone and she lays in the middle the room, on the brink of her climax… Her legs tremble, hips arching as a sensation she has never felt before washes over her. Leaving behind a wave of pleasure and heat as she lays back on the futon. As a smile flits her lips, she remembers the feel of his hand on her skin, the feel of his warm body against hers, the memory so vivid even though she was drunk.

Hamako forces that familiar face from her memories, wondering why she was thinking of him after experiencing _that_ for the first time… Flushing more, she pulls the blankets over herself, rolls over on her side, heart racing at such thoughts.

Confused, she was just confused… That’s why Kisame Hoshigaki’s face was the last thing she thought of before she went to sleep that night

* * *

It’s raining as Hamako hides in the trees, she’s far enough away that she’s sure they won’t spot her. Using her blood bending ability, she slows her heart beat just enough, forcing the flow of her chakra to remain as invisible as possible. It wouldn’t help if the Uchiha was here, but so far, there had been no sign of him.

Roshi of Iwagakure stands there in the clearing, the host of the four tailed beast. His posture is alert and she can make out the other figure walking towards him, perhaps it would be Itachi.

But her heart leaps strangely as her eyes spot Kisame, walking confidently towards the other ninja. If Roshi is alarmed, he doesn’t show it, his eyes glued to the Ex-Kirigakure ninja as he stops a few feet in front of him. Kisame walked with a confident gait of course, he was aware of just how powerful he was, his mouth in that all too familiar grin. Hamako couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the familiarity of it, how many times had she encountered this man and he always seemed to oozed confidence?

… Then she remembers of when she was thinking of him a few nights ago and almost smacked herself in the face. Idiot, she would never think of him that way, it wasn’t that he was not attractive, but he was dangerous, too dangerous to get close to. Bonding with an S-Classed criminal of the Akatsuki was basically asking for death, especially since Eiichi apparently wasn't too fond of the man.

Whatever conversation that Roshi and Kisame have, it only lasts a few minutes. The first to make their move is Roshi, he lunges towards Kisame and as the fight begins to unfold, Hamako watches clearly.

Kisame doesn’t move like a human, he doesn’t fight like a normal Shinobi. The way he moves is nothing like she had ever seen before, the experiences of a man who bled, slaughtered and killed. But his speed… It was almost hard to keep up with just how fast he moved, combined with his sheer strength. When he clashed with Roshi, her skin tingled, goose bumps raised as he continued to fight him with utter confidence. From here, she could make out his facial expression, his brows were furrowed in concentration but beneath that, was the blood thirst and hostility that made him the monster he was.

The monster of the Hidden Mist, the one who had killed his own comrades and would most likely defeat Roshi. As the fighting intensified, Hamako’s heart began to pick up pace as well, lava and water colliding as the Jinchuuriki and Kisame continue to fight.

“I have no doubt that Kisame will win.”

Hamako’s body froze but when she looked over to the other side of the tree, she’s met with an unfamiliar face. Well, not completely unfamiliar… The man close to her is barely even a man, one side of his body white and the other side black, with a venus fly trap surrounding him.

**“You must be Hamako Chisuke…”** This time the voice his different, coming from his black side. Both eyes look at her curiously.

“Yes,” Hamako says rather calmly, still watching Kisame and Roshi fight. “You must also be from the Akatsuki.”

“Correct,” White Zetsu says, chuckling slightly. “We’ve heard about you.”

Hamako shrugs. “I’ve heard that phrase a lot lately.”

Zetsu is silent and she could feel his… Or their eyes on her, after awhile, they disappear and she lets out a long breath. Hamako wondered if they would tell Kisame and Itachi that she was spying on them, but she would worry about that later.

The battle finished soon enough and Kisame barely had a scratch on him. He carries Roshi’s body on his Samehada and again, Hamako can’t help but snort and roll her eyes as he walks away, as if this were just minor struggle. She bites her lip, smiling as she stops suddenly, looking behind him and then around. Hamako hides behind the tree but as she looks back towards Kisame, he is already walking away through the rain.

The way he had fought, the way he had moved… It was seared into her own memory, she couldn’t help but admire him a little after seeing how ruthlessly he fought. Kisame truly was a strong Shinobi, capable of killing her if he wanted to. Now Hamako was prepared in case it came to that… Her and Kisame fighting.

Turning away, she descends farther into the forest and farther away from the scene of the battle. As she leaps from tree to tree, she doesn’t notice the crows that watch her as she leaves.

* * *

Nearby, Hamako finds an inn to stay at… She had lost track of where Itachi and Kisame had gone to, but in truth, she didn’t want to risk following them to their hide out. Not after her encounter with Zetsu who would no doubt tell them that she was following them.

Hamako contemplated of what to do next. She thought of Mori’s words than of Eiichi… She had received a scroll from Eiichi, passed onto her by a bird. Looking down at the unread scroll, she takes sip of her sake. It was a good thing she had money, considering the amount of sake she was now consuming. After a long moment, she opens the scroll and reads it.

Her blood goes cold at the words that she reads.

It seemed that Kirigakure had sent Shinobi after her and Eiichi, anbu most likely… They had found their location in the Land of Hot water, now Eiichi and the rest of the rogue ninjas who worked for him had to flee to a different location. But where would they go now? Eiichi didn’t disclose a new location, again, holding back information. She worried for Yui, would she be okay? And what about Mori?

Yui was the closest thing to a friend that she had had, if anything happened to her…

She cuts her palm, blood welling onto her skin as she makes the summoning signs and two small creatures appear. Otters, their dark eyes look at Hamako curiously, touching both of their noses, she instructs them what to do and they slip out of the room and into the night.

Sitting back against the wall, she opens her book, now the second of the Make Out Paradise books and reads late into the night.

* * *

Tailed beast extractions took a long time, even with the whole Akatsuki present. Once they were done, Kisame wants nothing more than to relax for at least a little bit. Unfortunately, he would have to share this hideout with Hidan and Kakuzu who both thankfully left to go somewhere else in the mean time.

Sighing, he turns around only to come face to face with Zetsu. “What?” He asks, slightly annoyed.

Itachi glances their way, then walks away without a word.

**“We got to meet Hamako.”** Black Zetsu says with a smile. **“She was quite an interesting girl.”**

“… You only talked to her once. Not long enough to even get to know much more about her.” White Zetsu adds.

Now Kisame is surprised, especially at the mention of the girl. “When?”

“She was watching you fight Roshi,” White Zetsu explains. “Spying on you.”

Black Zetsu chuckles, **“Perhaps eying up her next opponent… Seems like she wants to fight you, Kisame. I couldn’t imagine why else she would be there. But if you defeat her, then you can give her body to us…”**

Kisame clenched his jaw at that idea, he thought back to his fight with Roshi… She must have been far away enough that he didn’t see her, but close enough to see them fight. Sneaky girl, then she had probably run off without following them… Knowing that would have been risky. Hamako Chisuke had outsmarted him and had almost gotten away from him that time without a real right.

Something in him stirred, excitement? His fight with Roshi was exciting but considering his large amount of stamina, Kisame could always go for another fight. When he thought more about that girl, that woman, his blood stirred more. He didn’t know if it was the excitement of fighting or just seeing her again that caused this emotion in him.

“Well…” Kisame says after a long minute, smirking. “She couldn’t have gone too far…”

Zetsu only smiles and of course, knowing where she has gone, tells him where she is.

* * *

There’s an inn at a crossroads, not far off from where their hide out is. Staying in the shadows, Kisame walks around the inn, looking through the windows. Most of them have the blinds closed but there is one where the window is open, warm light spilling out into the night.

Hamako Chisuke sits against the wall, a blanket wrapped around her. She is reading a book and Kisame can see that it is one of the Make Out Paradise books, his eyes wander to her bare, pale legs for a long moment. Then he remembers why exactly he is here… If Hamako was indeed spying on them, he had take care of that problem.

Which meant fighting her, or killing her… But killing her would certainly be a waste. Besides, he must say that right now, she looks cute. Her hair is worn long and loose and her eyes are very much focused on the book she is reading-

Something moves in the trees, Kisame tears his eyes away and looks into the darkness, sensing someone there. He gazes back at the inn but Hamako is gone from where she was sitting…

He feels someone behind him, but Kisame can’t move. The tip of a sword glints from the edge of his vision, pressing against his neck, as Hamako leans into him, he smiles in amusement. Her scent is familiar and her hand grips his arm, leaning into him more, Samehada making a growling sound.

“Be careful,” He warns as she doesn’t move away from him. “… Samehada doesn’t like strangers.”

“But we’re not strangers, are we?”

“No,” Kisame chuckles, he tries to move his head, but he can’t. He didn’t realize how much he wanted to look at her this close, take her in. “But even after all the times we have met, I still don’t know too much about you.”

This time Hamako laughs and he enjoys that sound, the sound of her laughter. “Well, since you’re stuck here under my jutsu, perhaps you can ask me anything you like to.”

“You like to be in control, don’t you?”

“Yes,” She answers honestly.

“Hm…” Is his response, not sure why he’s not bothering to demand her to let him out of this jutsu. It’s fun in a way, perhaps. Kisame told himself he didn’t come here to play games, but now that she was this close to him, he didn’t want her to leave. “How are those books you’ve been reading?”

“Entertaining,” She says, her voice wavering slightly. “I’m on the second one, I can let you borrow the first one if you wish.”

“Hm, well I’m not much of a reader.”

“Lame… You will definitely want to read these ones, they are definitely most entertaining books I have read so far.”

Kisame chuckles, then he lowers his voice into a husky growl. “How about instead of me reading it, you can explain to me exactly what happens?”

Hamako’s shock was what he needed, her reaction caused the jutsu to fall apart and Kisame whirled towards her, slamming her against the tree. His hands pin her wrist above her head, sword now fallen to the ground as he holds her there against the tree. Water drips down from the branches and onto her face, her violet eyes glaring up at him, her face flushed.

“You get flustered too easily,” He growls and she growls back at him, baring her teeth. “Did you enjoy watching me fight Roshi earlier?”

“I got a good idea of how good of a fighter you are,” She says. “I must say that I’m impressed, even though you’re still a terrible person.”

Kisame laughs. “Aw, is that what you think? So I was right, you do like me.”

“Likes a heavy word to use. I would say that I tolerate you.” Hamako says with an amused tone. “Is that why you’re here, so you can tell me all about how you took down a Jinchuuriki? Because I wouldn’t worry too much, I saw everything. I was quite entertained.”

“That’s a pretty lame excuse for spying on us, Hamako.”

Hamako’s expression turns more serious, Kisame lets her go and he is surprised that the whole time, she hadn’t bothered to fight him back. Their easy banter now had turned into a tense silence, one where Hamako seemed to be choosing her words carefully. He stared at her, he wanted to tear his gaze away from her but it was hard to for some reason, she looked… Confused.

It was not just that expression on her face that captured his attention, but everything about her. She had gained weight, her hips and chest more fuller than when he had first seen her. God damn, he had to admit that she looked good, she looked more healthy. This close, his eyes focused on her full, pink lips, her long black lashes and the small scars on her face.

Kisame then remembered another time when a different girl almost had his attention, he remembered his sword cutting through that girl… One who had secretly cared for him and would never know exactly her feelings for him. He had ruined that of course, like he had ruined almost everything else.

Abruptly, he turns away from her, his jaw clenched in frustration. He had made the mistake of getting his feelings involved, he should have killed the girl two years ago. But now here they were and Kisame couldn’t find it in himself to raise his sword towards her. It was in his very nature to be violent, but around Hamako, that part of him seemed to disappear.

His loyalties lied somewhere else, they didn’t lie with this girl. That violent part of himself started to come to the surface, the part of him that he swore he would never let anyone else see past. Reality bubbled to the surface, erasing the easiness and humour of their conversation from before.

“You’re mad, aren’t you?” Hamako asks.

Kisame has no more words to speak.

He turns and lunges towards Hamako, swinging Samehada towards her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> First of all, I wanted to say that this chapter was tough to write for me... I kind of struggled with writing it and I think that battle scenes are my weakness, whoops. It's also a very long chapter, probably the longest one so far. Ideally, I want my chapters to continue being this long because it's hard to squeeze in a lot when you have a 2,000-3,000 word limit on a chapter. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed it!  
> Second, this month is going to be a bit busier for me, personally. I'm currently working on my last course as much as I can and I am also moving at the end of the month! So, I've been focusing on packing and school and will try to prioritize that before I move.  
> This means that I possibly won't be updating for the rest of the month. I've been trying to update weekly, but with everything going on I don't think I'll be able to write more chapters of this story. It sucks because I truly love it and where the story is going, but I have to focus on preparing for my move.  
> BUT, I will hopefully update again in November! Who knows if I have the time to, I will probably sit down to write a bit more in October as well... But that's only if I have the time to. For now, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

* * *

“Hm…”

The man before Ao, observes the picture of the girl, Hamako Chisuke. Still wearing the Anbu uniform, he puts the picture back down on the bench beside him. He has a plain looking face, his ice-blue eyes looking back up at Ao, his scarred mouth twisting into an amused smirk.

“I remember her,” He says, brushing a hand through his dark brown hair. “We worked together before… She was quiet, kept to herself. I didn’t even know that she was from the Chisuke clan, she always hid that ability.”

Ao nods at his words, “She is currently involved with Eiichi Hoshigaki.”

“What?” The Anbu says, eyes widening. “I thought he was dead…”

“No. He’s not, he is alive… Which is why you are here, Ginji.”

Ginji raises an eyebrow at those words. “But you’ve sent Anbu after her a few years ago and she killed all of them… How will this be different.”

Ao only smiles slightly at this, he pulls something from his pouch, a piece of paper, and hands it to Ginji. The man’s eyes widen more as he reads the information there. Then after another minute, he puts it down and looks back at Ao, his expression slightly puzzled.

“There’s no confirmation that this will work…” Ginji says. “The Chisuke clan was not only brutally eliminated, but so were their secrets.”

Ao turns away from him. “This is the only information that we do possess… I suppose now is the time to find out if this will really work.”

* * *

What happened next felt a lot like DeJa’Vu, Hamako of course, easily dodged Kisame’s attack. Whatever conversation they had before, was forgotten. It seemed like Kisame was out for blood now. The damn bastard had found the right words to take her by surprise, but she would not be fooled again. Now that she had seen him fight and knew about as much as she could, Hamako was prepared. But still, she wondered what caused Kisame’s mood to shift so quickly. Well, he possibly knew of her intentions… Now he wanted to know why she was spying on him. Hamako wouldn’t tell him everything though, she couldn’t do that.

As they dance around each other, Hamako blocking his strikes and Kisame moving with that same speed, Hamako’s thoughts from earlier disappeared. Her focus and intent remained on Kisame, who in turn, smiled that wicked smile. She barely had time to make any signs, he was constantly striking her head on, trying to back her into a corner. It had been almost two years since they last fought, one that Hamako had managed to escape. But during the past two years, she had been training, under Eiichi’s brutal teachings as well. Hamako had always been fast and she had been doing much to improve her speed… Strength and speed, it was what she was told to improve upon.

This time when Kisame hit her, her sword flew out of her hands, he managed to grab her, Samehada at her back.

She lost track of time, they lunged at each other and she dodged his various jutsus. Hamako was sure that he was not using his full strength, his face, usually amused was now in a serious frown. Gone was the humor, the wickedness, Kisame intended to kill her here and now. As their fighting became more violent, Hamako’s blood began to boil…

Samehada swung towards her again and she didn’t dodge, it shredded her arm and her leg and a yell ripped from her throat at the pain. The sword’s bindings had ripped and its teeth attempted to grab onto her leg. She spun back from Kisame, who’s eyes watched her keenly but as he looked at her injuries, a strange expression crossed his face and then quickly disappeared…

She smelt blood, hers and his, she felt it in her… Pumping wildly with excitement, a strange urgency taking over her body.

_‘DESTROY HIM.’_ Something within her screamed, she needed to control it. Hamako had used some of her blood bending techniques on Kisame, or tried to at least. Every time she tried to perform a jutsu, he would attack her head-on, damn bastard. Gritting her teeth, she growled at him as a wave of water he summoned crashed towards her…

_‘Let go,’_ that same something crooned, indulging in the feel and scent of blood.

_‘… Tear him apart.’_

_‘He hasn’t seen that part of you, show him what you really are…’_

Their eyes lock as the water settles into a pool beneath their feet. Hamako has lost control of her own thoughts, everything turns red and all she can think about is the scent and the taste of blood. While her abilities to manipulate and control blood were unique and powerful, there was a dangerous side effect. Perhaps it happened to everyone in the Chisuke clan, she wasn’t sure, but she knew that if she didn’t…

… Something in her snapped, almost violently, her body and chakra rippling.

Hamako explodes, the world fading into darkness.

* * *

Blood lust and violence consumed him, Kisame’s eyes locked with Hamako. Something in him shifted as if looking at her changed something, everything perhaps. But as he looked at her, he almost startled at the look in her eyes. What looked back him now, who looked back at him was not Hamako Chisuke. No, it was her, but there was something so completely different about her. Her chakra, her aura was wavering, changing into something more sinister and dangerous.

“Hamako-“

As her name barely escaped his mouth, the water exploded and her dangerous aura quickly became more violent. Her bloodlust rippled in the air and the water below them had turned to… Blood, blood, and water. Kisame’s own excitement quickly turned to worry, to alertness as the battle began to change. Samehada squirmed violently in his hand, Kisame jumped from the pool of blood and onto a nearby tree. He looked back down at Hamako…

His eyes widened as he looked down at her, Hamako’s eyes following him. Those eyes which were once a lavender shade, now almost glowed a magenta color. The blood beneath her feet moved, hands twitching as she controlled the flow of blood, as she growls her elongated canines show… Veins protruding from her skin. The girl radiated a violent and hostile aura, her heart rate picking up speed as prepares her next move.

Bad, this was bad. Kisame was not prepared for this… So this must have been how she was able to slaughter so many Shinobi. Little was known about the Chisuke clan, considering they had indeed been wiped out… Was this why? If everyone from the Chisuke Clan was like this, then was this why they had been eradicated? Kisame could only assume that this was the reason why.

Hamako disappeared… So fast, he blinked twice. The girl was of course fast, but like this, she was even faster. Then the blood moved, he braced himself as it shifted into spikes and shot towards him. He jumped out of the way as they shot through the trees, one just grazing him as he dodges them. Kisame barely notices the pain, the way he bleeds as he makes his way out of there. Growling, he looks around for her but she is nowhere to be seen.

She flies towards him, almost not seeing her through the trees. As she attacks him head-on, he blocks her with Samehada but she doesn’t bother dodging, crashing into him with much more force than before. A tree cracks, almost breaking as they crash into it and fall back to the forest floor. Kisame recovers quickly, but Samehada has fallen out of his hand, he goes to grab it…

… It is thrust towards him and Hamako grabs him from the front of his cloak.

He gapes. _‘What the hell?!’_

The damn girl was holding the sword as if it belonged to her, eyes glowing as she snarls at him. His eyes take her in but his gaze is focused on the way she holds that damn sword, _his_ sword. Samehada snarls, but its teeth don’t latch onto him, doesn’t attempt to shred him. But he feels the blood sliding down his arms and Kisame’s temper heats. Samehada didn’t reject Hamako, like it usually does with other Shinobi.

Samehada likes Hamako, likes her chakra. Kisame couldn’t let this go further, that was his sword after all and Hamako was not going to wield it. He attempts to move but her hand is on his chest, holding him there. She didn’t use any signs to release the technique… Perhaps because of her now violent nature, she could pull that off. More blood welled as her nails dug into his chest, Kisame’s eyes remained on her and he flashed his teeth.

“That’s very rude, taking my sword…” He snarls. “Samehada doesn’t just choose anybody, he can be picky. But you… It seems to me, he likes you.”

Hamako doesn’t respond, but Samehada shifts in her hand. She leans towards him, nostrils flaring, smelling his blood. God damnit, she had managed to make him bleed… She had turned the tide of this battle. He was angry but also… Strangely aroused, looking at her, seeing how violent and dangerous she had quickly become. But Kisame wasn’t going to back down, not just because he liked where this was going, but because he refused to look.

“Samehada…” He growls and the sword responds to him, giving him a large amount of chakra. Perhaps he could merge with the sword, but right now wasn’t the best time for that. He needed to break out of Hamako’s jutsu first, if he consumed more chakra.

First he would try to subdue her, as he consumed even more chakra his strength was enough to move slightly. Grunting, he uses even more of his strength to break the jutsu with nothing but pure strength and chakra. Hamako screams in rage, but before she moves Kisame bites into her shoulder, teeth digging into the pale flesh. As her body thrashes, she drops Samehada from her hand.

As he holds Samehada again, he takes the opportunity to slam Hamako into the ground, so hard that the ground shook. She screams in rage as he lets the sword bite into her this time, consuming her chakra. Draining her of enough chakra would probably ease her violent nature, that was his best guess at least. Kisame wouldn’t drain her completely, if he did, she would die.

_‘But you must kill her… Isn’t this proof enough?’_

She was a monster as well, the same as him. A different monster but they were both violent creatures, honed by years of killing and witnessing the death of others. Hamako was most likely treated like a tool by others and she had to survive in this terrible world while keeping her abilities a secret.

It would be a waste to kill her. That and Kisame truly didn’t want to kill her, not at all.

But that didn’t mean they could keep drawing out this battle. He wanted to see her fight more, wanted to witness this dark, hostile part of her. This thing she had quickly become perhaps scared many others, but not him. This battle was exciting, probably even more than his battle with Roshi earlier. As he leaps back away from her, she lays frozen on the ground…

The sky begins to lighten, how long had they been fighting? Kisame doesn’t really care, not as his next jutsu summons enough water to consume them, the water spilling from his mouth. The water forms into a large bubble around them, submerging everything. As he feels Samehada merging with him, his cloak cast aside, his eyes dart around looking for Hamako as he floats in the water. Where had she gone?

Something comes at him from the side, so fast. But he swims away, fast enough to get away from whatever it was that tried to attack him… But when he looks clearly, he sees that it isn’t Hamako but something else. Two long, dark green bodies float there, larger than even him, their mouths open to reveal rows upon rows of teeth.

_‘Lamprey fish…’_ He thinks, almost gawking at the sheer size of them. He had heard of the fish before, normal ones were smaller than these ones. They attached themselves to other creatures and sucked their blood, these ones looked like they could drain a human’s blood. _‘A fitting creature for Hamako to summon…’_

But lamprey fish that size? The girl had surprised him again and he wanted to laugh. Hamako certainly wasn’t playing around, she was certainly out for blood. He wondered who had trained her? Whoever did would of course have known about her ability. That someone must have been trustworthy and strong, to be able to train a girl like Hamako.

Kisame smiles as he sees her. Hamako speeds through the water towards him and he is ready for her next attack.

* * *

“Woooow!”

Tobi looks upon the battle in complete awe, his arms crossed as he looks closely at the large dome of water currently in front of them. Not too close, of course, they had made sure that weren’t close in case that large body of water fell.

Hidan cursed, not at the battle but the fact that this mask-wearing freak had come and disturbed him. Zetsu had informed him that Kisame was fighting Hamako Chisuke, the girl who had cut him to pieces in Amegakure. He was still not over that, the memory still left a bitter taste in his mouth, and looking at the girl pissed him off.

“Kisame didn’t get this intense in his battle against Roshi,” White Zetsu observes as Black Zetsu chuckles in amusement. “He’s pretty serious about killing the girl, it seems.”

Hidan laughs, shaking his head. “You really fucking think that?”

**“It’s clear that he is out for blood…”** Black Zetsu says. **“When he has the chance, of course, he will kill her. Kisame’s not hesitated in killing other Shinobi before, he won’t hesitate to kill the girl of course.”**

“Fuck no,” Hidan barks, crossing his arms and leaning back against the tree. “Not until he fucks her first, that’s what I’m betting.”

“Wait… What?!” Tobi squeaks in alarm, head whipping to face Hidan.

“He wants to have sex with her, meaning he wants to spread her legs and put his cock in h-“

White Zetsu hastily interrupts him. “I think we’re all familiar with the concept of intercourse, Hidan.”

“… Intercourse?” Tobi says this time, cocking his head.

“Who the fuck says intercourse?” Hidan snaps, rolling his eyes.

“Are you saying that Kisame and Hamako are going to do that? They’re going to do… Intercourse?”

Hidan doesn’t have a response to that, because it seemed that Tobi couldn’t put two and two together. What was the point of having this idiot in the organization anyways? Hidan just wanted to watch this battle unfold, in hopes of being left alone, but of course, the pumpkin faced idiot had to come here as well.

Tobi perks up again, looking towards the battle. “Oh, what is that?!”

“I-“ Hidan starts but then freezes, seeing that the large dome of water is no longer water but… Blood? “Hey, the fuck is-“

The dome bursts, blood crashing to the ground and towards them as the trees bend and some break from the pressure.

Tobi screams in panic. “AHHH!”

“FUCK’S SAKE.” Is Hidan’s only response as they run away from the battle.

* * *

Blood covers every part of him, dripping down his skin as Kisame stands on shaky feet, Samehada now on the ground. He lets out a long breath, eyes scanning the bloody ground for Hamako. She must have reached her limit now, considering she managed to break out of the Water Prison Shark Dance Technique…

But turning all of the water into blood, it must have been too much for Hamako. Now was she hiding? No, there she was on the ground, unconscious… As his eyes strayed on her, some part of him panicked at the sight of her. Was she simply unconscious or dead? Bending down, he reaches a hand towards her, black hair sticking to her skin.

So quickly, she moves and he is below her, legs straddling his hips as her one hand presses down on his shoulder and a knife is pointed at his throat. The battle had ended almost exactly how it began, with Hamako holding him and a knife at his throat. Kisame smiles in amusement, feeling surprisingly excited as he looks at her face, still hostile but calmer than before… Eyes lavender again.

The feel of her body against his was doing something to him… It felt much too nice and Kisame flushed slightly, teeth clenched. He almost grunted as he became aroused, his erection pressing against her thigh. “Hamako” He snarls.

Something in her snaps, she flinches away from him, tumbling back onto the ground. For a moment, he thinks that she might attack him again but she slowly sits up instead, blinking at him. For a moment, they stare at each other, the sun starting to rise.

“Kisame…” She says, shaking her head. Blood trickles down her face and she frowns, pushing her hair back from her face. “I… Lost control, shit.”

“You… Were a different person.” He says carefully as she looks up to the sky, eyes wide in wonder. “It seems we fought for hours, you were incredible, I must say.”

“… What?”

Kisame grins, chuckling at her confused and shocked expression. “I said that you fought incredibly, you were an opponent worth fighting.”

“You’re not going to finish me off?” She asks, eyebrows raised.

Finish her off? No, Kisame didn’t want to do that, he found that if there was anything he wanted to do now, it was to press his mouth against hers. To taste her skin and to let his hands wander the curves of her body, hands gripping those thighs as she slid down onto him…

_‘NO.’_ He forced such thoughts from his head, blaming them on his own arousal. What the hell was wrong with him? They had just fought a bloody battle and now he could only think those lustful thoughts, thoughts that almost drove him wild the more he dared to think about it. He couldn’t keep thinking like that, it was becoming too distracting.

Hamako stares off into the distance, her face pale and body shaking.

She turns away throws up into the grass.

* * *

The world is quiet as she sits against the tree, covered in sweat and blood. Hamako stares up at the sky, which is streaked pink and violet as dawn arrives, the air feeling cold. Her breath fogs in front of her but she doesn’t find that she feels cold, her whole body still feels warm.

She didn’t expect that to happen… To turn into THAT state when she fought Kisame. It had happened only a few times before, it was something she didn’t even tell Eiichi about. If she did, what difference would it make? This was her own secret and no one else alive knew about it.

Except now Kisame did. He didn’t even seem wary of her, more amused than anything. They had fought long and hard, though Kisame didn’t seem as exhausted as her. Of course, because he had more stamina and chakra. Kisame walks back towards her, holding something in his hand. His Akatsuki cloak, which was covered in dirt and blood. He frowns at it and then picks up Samehada, his eyes turning back to her. She remembered holding Samehada, how damn heavy that sword was. Kisame’s expression seemed to sour more as she stared at the sword and then back to him.

“You know, I don’t plan to steal your sword again,” Hamako explains, stretching her weary legs. “I don’t have any interest in any of those damn swords anyways…”

“I’m not worried about that,” Kisame says, walking over to her. “It’s the fact that Samehada has taken a liking to you, that’s the problem.”

Hamako lifts an eyebrow, a purring like sound comes from Samehada and she sees that the sword is attempting to move her direction. Before she had not paid much attention to the sword but she knew it was the most dangerous blade out of the Seven Swords of the Mist. But the damn thing was… Purring? It liked her?

“Uh… Does it always do that?”

Kisame chuckles. “Very rarely. It’s taken a liking to you and Samehada is usually picky, he’ll try to reject almost anyone that tries to handle it.”

“So, that means it could reject you as it's owner?”

“Yes,” He says, frowning again. “Let’s say that even if you didn’t want it, it could still reject me and choose you instead.”

“When you first got the sword… Did it try to reject you?”

“No, I actually haven’t had issues with Samehada… Of course, it took time getting used to using such a dangerous blade, not everyone is able to handle it after all.”

But of course, Kisame could easily wield the blade now, she saw proof of that in her battle. Suddenly feeling exhausted, she settles back against the tree, sweat trickling down her back. Hamako had spent too long out here, she needed to go back to the inn…

“… I should probably go.”

He crouches in front of her, eyebrows raised. “You don’t look like you’re even ready to get up.”

“Just give me a minute…” She groans, rubbing the back of her neck. Her eyes focus on his chest, to where her nails had left cuts on his chest… Surely, they would have healed by now, but she dragged her eyes away, not wanting to look too long at him.

“There’s a hot spring, somewhere nearby here…” He says rather casually, standing up again. “That’s where I’m heading. You can come too if you want to…”

Her and Kisame in a hot spring… Together. Hamako’s face flushed at the thought, but before her imagination could run too wild, Kisame added. “Don’t worry, it’s a big hot spring…”

Sighing, Hamako stood up and followed him, wavering slightly as she walked. Again, this was probably a bad idea, to be out here spending more time with Kisame, but she wanted to sit in the hot springs very badly. She remembered her mission and wanted to groan at what she could possibly say to Eiichi or Yui about what had happened out here.

They walked uphill to the base of a mountain and then came into a clearing where steam rose from the pools. Kisame was right, it was big, huge even and she noticed that a crooked low, wall of rock separated the Springs. That must have been man-made by someone, though the wall was crumbling now it would still block her from Kisame’s view.

Silently, she walks to the other side of the spring and into a crevice of the mountain, where she strips off her clothes. Conveniently, she had a spare change of clothes in her bag which she had retrieved from where she and Kisame fought. For a long moment, she stood there completely naked in the crevice, the cool air causing her skin to shiver. Before stepping into the hot springs, she attempts to clean the blood from her skin with water from her canteen.

After the long battle, stepping into the warm water was beyond blissful. Hamako groans as she descends into the water, dunking her head into the water and then rising back up. The sound of splashing water comes from the other spring and she leans back against the rock wall, a bench carved into the wall to sit on. There was a long moment where both of them didn’t say anything, the sound of birds chirping in the distance, leaves rustling.

“What happened back there, it doesn’t always happen…” The words spill out of Hamako’s mouth before she can think. “I don’t even know really what it is, you’re the only one who has survived it…”

Kisame is silent for a long moment, thinking about what she said. “I wasn’t going to judge you for it… Do you think it makes you a monster?”

“Yes…”

“Huh…” He chuckles dryly, his tone serious. “I understand that too well, I mean, look at me after all… Especially with the way I look, I’ve always been called a monster. You’re not the only one that feels that way.”

“I could see from the way that you fight, you are…” Hamako says more quietly. “But when you’re not fighting, you don’t seem that way… A monster I mean.”

“Do I?”

“… I think people are quick to judge based on your appearance alone. But once you get to know someone well enough, it turns out that they’re not really who you think they are.” Hamako explains. “And people, they always hide who they really are, or their intentions… Sometimes you can’t solely base them on how they look or the things you have heard about them.”

“Hamako…” Kisame says more quietly than before, there is a tension in his voice and for a moment, she wonders if he will leave or say something else.

“Yes, I was told to spy on you.” She blurted out, face flushing. “But only to watch you and Itachi… I didn’t really intend to fight you and I didn’t want to kill you, either.”

“Why?”

“Why didn’t you want to kill me?” She retorts loudly. “… Even back then, you didn’t kill me. Why?”

Kisame sighs. “I don’t know… That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out myself.”

“Same here…” Hamako mumbles, smiling slightly. “I guess… I guess I thought you would understand since you also lived in that hell, Kirigakure I mean.”

“I…” Kisame starts but then pauses, thinking most likely. “I’ve done terrible things myself, are you saying that you’ve also had to live the same way?”

Frustration boiled in her and her eyes stung as she attempts to say something through gritted teeth, but then takes a shuddering breath. “I don’t even know who my real parents are, they were probably murdered right after I was born… I don’t know how I was able to live, after coming out of my mother’s womb, they should have killed me as well. You and I know how Kirigakure ninja could be, they would have killed me in my mother’s womb.”

Kisame doesn’t say anything, but Hamako keeps talking. Why she says this all to him, she doesn’t know. Because she secretly always wanted someone to understand how she had suffered? Would he even care, that she had suffered this way? That Kirigakure always fucked her over?

“… I was adopted by a retired Shinobi couple, they were good people. We lived in a small village outside of Kirigakure, they lived that way because they were done with the violence, the bloodshed. They knew who I was, what I was, and still raised me and loved me. They didn’t want to raise me to be some cold-blooded killer, to slaughter innocent people just because another Shinobi demanded me too. Even now, it’s hard to believe that these two people loved me, that they were willing to put their lives on the line just to raise an abomination like me.”

“It was during the wintertime when they told me to hide. It was Kirgakure ninja who had come, probably rogue ones but I wouldn’t know… Because I was hiding in our home, while the whole village was slaughtered, the women raped. I must have waited hours because when I came out from where I was hiding, everyone’s bodies were lying there in the snow.”

“… Then you killed that Shinobi…” Kisame says so quietly, she barely hears. Shock overtakes her and she almost crosses that wall just to look him in the eye, to hear him say it again.

Then she puts the pieces together, “You were one of the ones sent thereafter it happened, weren’t you?”

“Yes,” Kisame explains. “I don’t know how much better it will make you feel, but we did track them down and kill them all, all except one… Who had organized that slaughter.”

“You never found them?”

“No, didn’t even find out who organized it… The ninjas were loyal and wouldn’t say a single word about who had sent them to your village.” Says Kisame, then his voice softens again. “I’m sorry, Hamako…”

“Don’t be. It was a long time ago…” Hamako groans, leaning her back against the rock. “I was so young then, but I still remember it all clearly.”

Kisame must have moved closer as she can hear his voice more clearly as he speaks. “Did you manage to get to Kirigakure on your own?”

“I suppose so… I actually hid in someone’s farm during the night, then hid in their wagon the next day. They happened to be going to Kirigakure so I was lucky I was able to travel there that way… But I snuck out at the village gates and from there, some Shinobi took me to an orphanage. But like all the other orphanages in Kirigakure, there wasn’t much for me there. It was a struggle to even get food and I never had a bed to sleep in. Eventually, I just ended up on the streets.”

Thinking and talking about all the darkest parts of her past seemed to damper Hamako’s mood, her face feeling flushed. She didn’t realize that she had become angry talking about it, the terrible things she had to witness, had to endure. When it came down to it, she knew that she couldn’t completely forget about what had happened in the past, it would always be a part of her. Like that tattoo on her back, what she had gotten after Eiichi had left. Hamako had gotten it on a whim, though the more she looked at it, the more she realized that this… This was part of her, her own choice.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Kisame says after a moment. The sky is blue now and she spots a few birds flying from the trees, feeling groggy as she stares up. She could keep telling herself about how all of this was a mistake, how being here was something she shouldn’t be doing.

But she didn’t want to leave, she didn’t want to go back and find Eiichi and the others.

As she got out of the water, she realized that she had felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted on her shoulders.

* * *

“You know, you didn’t have to follow me back here.”

They stand along the edge of the forest, Hamako’s back turned to Kisame as she stares out at the mountains. She thought for certain he would try to take her to the Akatsuki's hideout but he didn’t and had instead followed her here. Usually, she would feel annoyed about this, but she was glad that she would get to say farewell to him properly this time.

Who knew when they would meet again. Maybe not for a long time, their paths had just happened to cross two times now… Surely, they wouldn’t keep meeting like that all the time. Not if Eiichi kept sending her somewhere else, on some other mission or errand.

“Who sent you to spy on me?” was Kisame’s only response, trying to sound casual about the way he asked the question.

_‘Does it matter?’_ Hamako thought. _‘It’s not like I wanted to anyways… Well, I wanted to see you, but not like that.’_

She scowled at the thought, but instead said, “Do you know a man named Mori?”

“Nope.”

“He’s a bounty master, but he’s also a Shinobi as well,” Hamako explains, turning to him with a small smile on her face. “Turns out, he’s done business with your good friend Kakuzu. By the way, he and his partner came and attempted to kill me or settle some deal with me, but Mori saved my ass.”

“I would think Mori wouldn’t have had to do that, considering the way you fight,” Kisame chuckles. “I’m convinced that you could probably handle both Kakuzu and Hidan on your own.”

“You really think that?”

“Yes.”

“Hm…” Hamako blinks then shakes her head. “Well, say hi to them for me, I’m sure they would love to hear more about me.”

“Anything specific you want me to tell them?” Kisame asks, smirking.

“Well…” She thinks for a moment, running a hand through her hair. She doesn’t miss the way that Kisame stares at her intently. “Something along the lines of ‘Sending you my regards, love, and Kisses… You know that cute, flowery shit.”

He laughs rather loudly and she snorts as well, biting back her own laugh at that idea and his reaction. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you their response to that… I’m sure it’s going to be priceless.”

“Well, then you’ll have to tell me when we see each other again.”

“… And when will that be, Hamako?”

Hamako bites her lip, glancing away from him. She didn’t know when but she could only hope that they would see each other again, under different circumstances. But then she remembers Eiichi and whatever hope she had faded, but not completely. These encounters she kept having with Kisame, with the Akatsuki she knew she should keep them a secret…

“Well…” Kisame says after a tense moment of silence. “I should get going.”

“Oh…” Hamako stammers, then she straightens, and hesitantly she bows slightly to him. “Hopefully, we meet again soon. You fought well.”

_‘Thank god I didn’t stutter there because I’m not good at this…’_ She thought rather awkwardly, not used to being so openly nice and friendly. Though maybe she shouldn’t have bowed? From the strange look on Kisame’s face, maybe it was unnecessary… Flushing, she almost turns away but then remembers something that she had almost forgotten.

“Oh, before I forget,” She says, more coolly, reaching back into her pouch. Grabbing the book, Makeout Paradise, she hands it to Kisame who looks down at the cover, hesitantly taking it from her. “For in case you get bored…”

His eyes narrow at the book, scowling as he continues to inspect it. “Well, that’s nice of you but I’ve told you I’m not into reading…”

“Have you ever tried reading for entertainment?” Is her retort, raising an eyebrow at him.

“No… And I don’t know if this a good way for me to start.”

“Well, it’s either that or you can read some boring, philosophical tale where nothing entertaining happens… Or you can read this if you wish. Your choice.”

“… You didn’t have to give me yours, I could buy this somewhere else.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” He chuckles, then slyly says, “Maybe…”

“Pft, well there you go. Since you’ve kept me up all night and nearly beat my ass, now it’s my turn to torture you… Through some entertaining and dirty literature.”

Kisame sighs, looking down at her, “I suppose that’s only fair, maybe now you should go take a nap.”

“Yeah,” She mumbles as he walks away, she looks back at the inn, thinking about maybe taking a bit of rest before embarking on another journey again. Perhaps she can do that, it would be nice to get some sleep as well… She was feeling quite tired after all.

Hamako turns back to Kisame, but he is already gone. Staring at the place where he had just stood, she smiles then looks into the direction where he must have gone. For a long moment, she stands there, reminiscing about their conversation, laughter bubbling up inside of her at the thought of him reading that book, of the events of the past few hours.

Then she feels something, some kind of emptiness… She wished that he didn’t have to leave, that they didn’t have to go on their separate paths. Feeling suddenly lonely, she realizes that what she is feeling, is something she had possibly never felt before.

Already, Hamako missed Kisame. More than ever, she hoped that they would see each other again, and soon.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ya'll! It's been awhile since I've updated but I'm now getting settled into my new place... I haven't written a lot unfortunately but I hope to continue writing the next chapter, for now I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_While there are not many recordings left of encounters with any member of the Chisuke Clan… I did find a rare document that reports their fighting style and behavior in battle._

_It is well known by now that they can manipulate blood to the extent of killing their opponents single handily. But the information I have found is quite disturbing and might just be the reason of their elimination. I can also assume why all information on the Chisuke clan has been destroyed._

_The report isn’t 100% clear but whoever wrote it, had feared for their life after this encounter… They said that when witnessing a member of Chisuke Clan, they had begun to act violently, extremely violently. Furthermore, their chakra emitted a blood thirsty aura, radiating pure blood lust. The person wrote that when they were in this state, their eyes glowed, usually magenta or sometimes a red colour. Chisuke Clan Member’s eye colours all tended to range from a lavender to a deep purple colour, according to other writings I have read._

_The person who wrote this speculated that it was the scent or the taste of blood that drove Chisuke Clan members into this state… I can also speculate that this might the reason they lose control. The report that I have found is short and there is also blood on it._

_I can only assume that whoever wrote this did not live long after writing it. It seems that whoever found them, was determined to keep this part of the Chisuke Clan a secret._

* * *

In one of the towers in Amegakure, Tobi sat in this chair, facing Pain the leader of the Akatsuki. To his left, Konan sat expressionless, staring at Tobi expectantly. Even though most people saw him as a foolish, giddy Akatsuki member, there was more to him that…

Something he wouldn’t reveal yet. But he was here for a few reasons, one was because of certain girl who had caught Kisame Hoshigaki’s attention and his attention as well. Clearly, Pain thought the same.

“It was good call on your part to not kill the girl,” Tobi says, his voice low and deep. “Even though someone with her power could be a threat to our organization.”

“What do you know of the Chisuke clan?” Pain asks, his violet ringed eyes unblinking as he stares back at him. “It seems I’m not the only one who hasn’t heard of them. Perhaps you might know, Madara.”

Tobi or Madara, sighs, tapping his fingers on his leg. “I know nothing of them unfortunately, besides the fact that they can manipulate blood. It seems like their whole clan was slaughtered.”

“Because they were too dangerous?” Konan asks quietly. “Like what happened with the Uzumaki clan and the Uchiha clan. People felt threatened by their immense power, so of course they were all killed… That’s what happened to the Chisuke clan.”

“Yes, Kisame said the same thing. He also said that any information about them was destroyed as well. But it seems like this one was able to survive.”

Madara continues, folding his hands in his lap. “I witness her fight Kisame and I must say even I’m impressed. While Kisame might not be the sharpest, you can’t deny his pure strength and power. Hamako however, might have been able to beat him in that battle, kill him perhaps…”

Pain cocks his head. “Why didn’t she kill him?”

“Well, it seems that her and Kisame have become acquaintances…” Madara muses. “Which is why both of them didn’t end up killing each other. Which I think works out for us…”

“I heard that Kakuzu was going to settle some deal with her, perhaps ask her to be a spy of sorts…” Konan says, frowning. “Though with what happened about a year and a half ago, I doubt he wants her to live. She does have a high price on her head, Kakuzu wouldn’t be able to resist that…”

“… There are many other people, Shinobi included, that have high bounties.” Pain says rather sharply. “Sometimes, a Shinobi’s abilities are worth more than their bounty.”

Madara chuckles, “I agree with that.”

“I would like to meet this girl, see her with my own eyes.” Pain continues, leaning back in his chair. Konan nods in agreement, looking towards him.

“That,” Madara says, smiling. “Can be arranged.”

* * *

Hamako moans, body stiffening as Kisame’s mouth kisses her neck, her shoulder, trailing down her chest. Hands dig into his hair as he bites softly down on her breast, licking her peaked nipples. His hands grasping her smooth ass as she wraps her legs around his waist. Kisame sighs, his erection straining against his underwear as her hips grind against his.

“Hamako…” He breathes, shifting his body lower, mouth moving down her belly. He kisses and bites the pale skin of her hips, her thighs which she spreads apart for him. How long has he wanted to kiss her, to touch her like this? He wanted nothing more than to have her like this, to taste her, to lick her until she is moaning his name, louder and louder.

“Kisame…” Her voice comes out in a low, guttural purr. He glances up at her and she looks back at him, face flushed with pleasure, eyes filled with wanting. His own desire was overwhelming, skin feeling almost too warm as he slips his own underwear off. His teeth bite her inner thighs, his mouth moving up her legs…

“… Don’t stop,” She practically begs and he almost chuckles at her desperation, her need for him strong.

Kisame growls then moves his mouth to between her legs, wanting so desperately to-

* * *

He woke with a start, eyes blinking in the darkness. He tastes blood in his mouth, he had bitten his own tongue… Kisame curses, feeling much too warm and thinking about the vivid dream he just had. His heart pounds in his chest, the effects of the dream clearly doing something to his own body.

Beneath the blanket, his erection twitches. When he thinks too clearly about how a certain someone had been straddling him earlier, the feel of her body against his, it almost becomes painful. Of course, his thoughts had gotten the best of him when they were in that hot spring together, too many fantasies about that situation. If he could, he would have pinned her to the ground and shown her just how much stamina he had… Kisame wouldn’t be rough of course, but he would just show her exactly the other things he could do to her body.

Kisame practically throws his blanket aside, tugging his underwear off. His hand wraps around his cock, slowly stroking it and imagining her… Imagining how wet she would be, how it would feel to be inside of Hamako, rocking into her. Perhaps she could take a little roughness and she would ask for more, to have it deeper, rougher and faster. When it came to his sexual encounters, Kisame tended to prefer Shinobi, women or men, because they could match his pace, handle his rough nature.

The idea of Hamako Chisuke, the image of her body, the feel of her skin… It almost drove him insane with desire. He had never felt such intensity for anyone else, all he thought about was her. All this time, she was in his mind and she would always stay there, never leave. He could feel his climax come as he thought more of her.

Her… _Her_.

Hamako Chisuke.

Goddamn, she was so beautiful as well… And she probably didn’t even know it.

Growling, he tilts his head back into the pillow, his other hand covering his mouth as he climaxes, hips jerking and then settling back onto the bed. Kisame was left only slightly satisfied, though he swore that his climax this time was even better just thinking about _her._ For god’s sake, he had only masturbated to the thought of her and his body was thrilled at just the thought of her. What was wrong with him?

Why of all people, did he feel such a strong attraction to her? Was it because of their earlier battle, the way she had told him about her past? Did she think about him the way he thought about her, did she feel that same attraction as well, the chemistry between them… It was there, but even Kisame himself couldn’t understand why, couldn’t understand his own feelings. He couldn’t deny his attraction to her, even though she was much younger than him. It was from the day that he saw her, the first day he laid eyes on her, that he started to feel something.

How could he face her again, with these thoughts and feelings about her? Kisame swore to never attach himself to someone like this again, ever since he killed one girl who had expressed interest in him. He rubs his face, staring up at the ceiling of his room in the hideout, though he can barely see it because of how dark it is.

Rolling over, he attempts to go back to sleep, but even as he does fall back asleep, it’s to the thought of Hamako.

* * *

Later, Kisame is awake and ready to depart the hideout. While he is eager to leave, he also thinks back to a few hours earlier, how he had awoken from that vivid dream about Hamako. Where would she be now? She must have left the Land of Earth, after all it had been two days since they had fought, she would be long gone by now.

He’s awaiting near the entrance of the hideout when someone approaches him, that someone being a certain foul-mouthed zealot. Hidan raises an eyebrow at Kisame’s obvious broody mood, he glares back at him. Obvious if Hidan was here, it was clearly to mock or annoy him.

“Hi.” Kisame says gruffly as Hidan’s lips curl into a sly smile.

“Why so pissy?” was Hidan’s response. “Shouldn’t you be over the fucking moon or something?”

Kisame sighs, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me why I should be?”

“Because you get to find that blood manipulating bitch again and fuck her real good this time. That’s why.”

Kisame bites back his words as an intense anger fills him, gritting his teeth. Hidan would choose this moment to mock both him and Hamako, though he did it because Hamako could probably kill him easily. It was also obvious that Hidan was not over the fact that Hamako tore him to pieces back in Amegakure.

“Why do you even care?” He asks, trying to sound bored with whatever he would say.

“… You could have fucking killed her easily and yet you chose not to.”

“Sorry if that upsets you. Though I don’t see why you give a shit considering she could probably kick your ass. Seems like you’re still not over what happened in Amegakure, maybe you should let it go and move on.”

Shrugging, Kisame turns away from but then stops, Hidan grabbing him by the sleeve. The look on Hidan’s face is furious, but there is also sly amusement in his expression as he smirks.

“You know…” Hidan growls as Kisame turns back towards him. “I have a better fucking idea…”

“And what is that?” He snarls back, his hand going to Samehada.

Hidan leans towards him even closer, till his mouth is near his ear. “Maybe if I see her again, I’ll fuck her instead… I’ll take my sweet time with her as well, because I bet that you just fantasize about the kind of sounds she will make as you fuck her. I wonder, if I do fuck her, will she be moaning your name instead?”

He barely finishes what he is saying, Kisame slams him against the cave wall, hand wrapped around his throat. Hidan’s eyes bulge as Kisame leans towards him, smiling, sharp teeth bared at him.

“Hamako would rip your goddamn balls off with her bare hands before you have the chance to try such a thing,” Kisame sneers, his grip around Hidan’s throat growing tighter. “And if you tried to do it without her consent… It’s not just going to be her that will rip you to pieces if you ever try such a thing.”

Hidan attempts to speak but Kisame doesn’t bother to loosen his grip around his throat. Kisame continues to speak in a low voice. “Even if I wanted to, I would never have sex with a woman without her consent. I may be a terrible but I would never stoop that low, unlike you, you piece of shit.”

His hands claw at his arm but Kisame slams him harder against the wall, smirking.

“I thought you liked being choked, Hidan?” Kisame chuckles darkly. “After all, isn’t that what you beg Kakuzu to do all the time?”

Then he finally lets go of him and Hidan gasps for air, glaring at Kisame. Though his face is now slightly pale and Kisame only laughs again, Hidan’s expression turning absolutely venomous.

“What the hell is going on?”

Kakuzu glares at Hidan and then at Kisame who only shrugs. Hidan curses something under his breath, rubbing the back of his head. “Nothing,” He spat as he turns away from Kisame.

“Hm,” Kakuzu grumbles, still staring at Kisame. “What?”

“Oh, well Hamako wanted me to pass on a message to you.” Kisame says casually. At this, he notices Kakuzu’s back stiffen at the mention of Hamako’s name.

“… And what would that be?”

Kisame turns away from him, making his way out of the hideout. “She wanted me to tell you that she sends you all her love and regards.”

* * *

Hamako stands at the window, watching the snow fall outside. Children run in the streets, some throwing snowballs at each other. In the distance, she can see the ocean, the water blue against the grey sky. Watching the snow, the distant ocean, she was filled with a longing… And sadness, bitterness. Her breath fogs in front of her as she remembers her last encounter with Kisame, what she had told him.

Seeing the snow, it had reminded her of that day… The day her life had changed. But if that had never happened, she would never have been driven down this path. Hamako would not have had the chance to become a strong Shinobi, to be able to defend and to protect herself.

The door opens behind her, she feels Eiichi’s presence. She closes her eyes, prepared for a lecture… A beating, a lesson. But instead, he comes and stands beside her, also looking out at the ocean beyond the village. For a long moment, he is silent and she wonders if he is mad at her, wonders what he plans to say to her.

“There is a saying I have heard a few times, I don’t know if you’re familiar with it…” Eiichi says softly, still not looking at her. “ _Minu ga hana.”_

 _“Minu ga hana…”_ Hamako murmurs, preparing for another lesson. “It means ‘Not seeing is a flower.’”

“That is the literal meaning, yes. But what do you think the real meaning is?”

Hamako is silent, not sure of what to say. She had never heard of this saying, but she had often heard of another saying: _jaku niku kyō shoku…_ The weak are meat; the strong eat. That was the literal meaning of the words but it also meant survival of the fittest. She had never forgotten the words, which is why they are tattooed on her back. A reminder to herself that she needed to be strong in order to survive this hellish world.

“I don’t know,” She says softly.

“Reality can’t compete with imagination,” Eiichi explains, looking to her. “That is what it means. In your mind you can imagine things, dreams, scenarios… Those thoughts can flourish wildly and become more vivid compared to reality, which is stark and brutal. You can blind yourself from the brutalityof reality with your flourishing imagination…”

“… But you shouldn’t let that flourishing imagination distract you from reality.” Hamako says softly. “Because reality isn’t a flower, reality is harsh. That is the way life is.”

Eiichi places a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. It was probably mean to be a reassuring gesture, but the weight of his hand only made her more uncomfortable and cold. “You understand of course. All of your life, you have suffered and faced the harsh reality of this world. That is what makes you strong and I hope you don’t lose track of that, of reality I mean.”

Hamako glances at him, “Why do you think I would?”

“You were thinking about something. What were you thinking about out here by yourself?”

Of course Eiichi would know that… But she couldn’t really tell him the truth could she? In truth, Hamako was thinking about what she had told Kisame, about her past. She was thinking about what he had said as well, that he was there after her parents were killed. It seemed no matter what happened, Kisame Hoshigaki was somehow involved in her life, always.

“Did I tell you how I ended up on the streets of Kirigakure?” Hamako asks Eiichi instead, not sure if he would want to here. He didn’t ask about it and she never told him, he had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in hearing about her painful past. He always wanted her to become stronger and he believed that reminiscing in the past made you weak.

“No,” He says gruffly. “Perhaps you can tell me.”

She told her it all, the same way she told Kisame… Except Eiichi was motionless, expressionless as she said everything, up till he found her. When she was done he didn’t say anything for a long moment. Did it matter what she told him, would he even care?

“Why are you thinking about this?” He asks rather sharply.

“I…” Hamako stammers, gaze turned downwards. “It’s just that every time it snows, I can’t help but remember-“

“Is that an excuse to let you be sad? You should not be sad, remember that it happened… But don’t think too much on such things. You’re a Jonin Shinobi now, a part of that is thanks to me.”

“They were my parents-“

Eiichi snaps, eyes flashing to her. “They were not your real parents… They were weak and couldn’t bear to raise someone born to be a warrior.”

 _‘Born to be a warrior and a monster,’_ Hamako thought miserably, eyes stinging. Kisame didn’t question her, he had felt sorry for her. He hadn’t judged her for any of the terrible things that had happened in the past… He was a terrible person, just like her, maybe he understood her the most because of that.

The slap came unexpectedly, she snaps her head back forward, cheek stinging from Eiichi’s slap. Hamako stands straight before him, looking him in the eyes, jaw clenched as he glares down at her. She used to fear what Eiichi would do but now, she found that she wasn’t afraid. She was her, her own person… He couldn’t always decide her fate, her future.

“Come inside.” He orders and she follows him back into the room. She doesn’t sit down, waiting for his order, he still stands in front of her, observing her.

“Take off your coat.” He orders again and Hamako obeys, not questioning his order.

 _‘Please…’_ She internally begs. _‘Just let it be the coat.’_

Eiichi says more lowly. “The sweater as well.”

The sweater is dropped on the floor, along with her jacket. Hamako grits her teeth, the door to the balcony hadn’t been closed, the cool winter air blowing into the room. Eiichi moves towards her, eyes inspecting her body.

“You’ve become soft, not just mentally but physically as well.” Eiichi observes, pinching her arm. Hamako almost scowls, she was not even overweight, not at all. Sure, she had been eating a lot and drinking, but her weight didn’t determine her worth. There were many Shinobi who were considered ‘heavier’ who were still amazing Shinobi. She had never understood it, why weight and body image was such a big deal. Most of her life she had been thinner, considering she had barely eaten. But she felt happy with her body, even if she was a bit heavier now and her stomach wasn’t completely flat, but more softer. But extra weight in the belly, thighs, and stretch marks were common, it didn’t matter that she had them.

Eiichi raises his brows at her but she doesn’t dare respond. Eiichi probably wouldn’t understand what she would say, though men did also have to live up to high expectations of what to look like in this world. Were they really all expected to look fit and muscular? Was that deemed to be the image of a Shinobi?

She wonders if Kisame would agree with her thoughts. He probably would, considering he probably had to deal with constant comments about his unusual skin colour. Though he had never spoken about that, Hamako wouldn’t doubt being born with gills and blue skin would result in harsh remarks from other people.

“You have nothing to say to that?” Eiichi asks, his eyes never leaving her face.

“No.” Hamako says slowly. “I’ve never given much thought to how I look, does it matter how much I weigh?”

Eiichi opens his mouth to say something but his eyes lock on her shoulder, “What is that?”

Oh.

On her shoulder was a scar, a teeth shaped scar… From where Kisame had bitten her during their battle. Panic threatened to overtake her but Hamako forced herself to be calm. She could explain this Eiichi calmly, without punishments hopefully.

“It’s from my fight with Kisame Hoshigaki.” Hamako explains calmy, but it doesn’t ease the stormy expression on Eiichi’s face. In fact, he looks even more furious then before.

“And when you were going to tell me about this, Hamako?” He snaps, gripping her chin. “Surely you would know better than to wait to tell me something like this.”

“I just got here yesterday, I’m so-“

“EXPLAIN!” He barks, hands now clenched around her arms, so tight. She grits her teeth against the pain.

“I went to spy on him in the Land of Earth, I… I saw him fight and take down Roshi-“

“… And you didn’t think to stop him?”

“No… I mean, I wanted to-“

“You wanted to, but what?” He mocks, sneering at her. “But you were too afraid to? Because you’re still weak and pathetic?"

Hamako snarls back at him and he blinks in surprise. “I fought him and LIVED! THIS SCAR IS FROM THAT FIGHT, BECAUSE WE WERE FIGHTING TOOTH AND NAIL. DOES THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY?”

Eiichi steps away from her, his face in a shocked expression. Hamako feels her anger boil over, face flushing as she glares back at him.

“I fought him and lived! I barely escaped Kakuzu and Hidan because they were hell-bent on slaughtering me! What did you want me to do, kill Kisame?! Kill the whole Akatsuki?!” She screamed. “BECAUSE EVERYTHING I DO FOR YOU ISN’T ENOUGH IS IT?!”

Again, silence stretches between them… Eiichi’s expression a mix of shock and rage. But he smirks, walking towards her. There’s a knock at the door, but he ignores it, instead staring down at Hamako with a wicked smile. Her knees suddenly feel wobbly, a sick feeling causing her stomach to turn.

_‘Oh no, what have I done?’_

“You should really regret that,” Eiichi hisses. “Because I’m not going to let you leave without consequences.”

“Eiichi-San?” A voice calls from outside, Mori it sounds like. “Should I wait outside? Everything is ready prepared and ready to go.”

“Yes.” He snaps and then there’s the sound of footsteps retreating. He turns back to Hamako. “Pick up your damn stuff.”

Movements stiff, she obeys, gathering her belongings as fast as she can. Not daring to pause because she knows Eiichi will punish her for being too slow. Once her sweater and jacket is back on, she turns toward him, jaw clenched.

“Let’s go.” He says stiffly, grabbing her roughly by the arm and leading her out of the room. They walk down the stairs and out of the building, Eiichi slamming the door behind him. Mori waits by the door and a few villagers look at them as they stand there.

“Eiichi-San…” Mori says, sounding confused but Eiichi ignores him.

“Give me your money.” Eiichi orders Hamako, Mori doesn’t look away, watching the interaction. People pause on the street to watch and Hamako feels her cheeks flush in shame and embarrassment.

She removes her wallet from her bag and hands it to Eiichi who pockets it. But he still looks at her expectantly. What else could he want? She feels dread now, hoping he wouldn’t take her bag, her books…

“Give me your coat and your sweater as well.” He barks and Hamako has no choice but to take them off and hand it to him. “All of your weapons and supplies you need as well too.”

Hamako gives it all to him, everything except the books in her bag. Every weapon she owns is now gone, teeth chattering against the cold. He looks into the bag but says nothing about the books, dumping the bag on the ground by her feet.

“Do you feel ashamed, Hamako?” Eiichi asks, loud enough for everyone around them to hear. She could hear a few people whisper and some people snicker, clearly entertained at the free show. “Because you should feel ashamed.”

Just when she thought her punishment was over, Eiichi reaches a hand towards her. Hamako cries out as he reaches down her shirt, into her bra and pulling out the money that she kept there, along with the key to the room on the upper floor of the building. People cry out, someone shouting but Mori steps towards them urging them to carry on with their business. Her eyes take in their shocked looks, their sympathetic looks while others only glare at her. Why... Why did they look at her this way? Or were they glaring at them both?

“Serves her right for being a Shinobi…” She hears someone spit.

A knife slashes across the back of her legs, she cries out. Eiichi moved with incredible speed, using this moment to punish her. Crumpling to the ground, she hisses through her teeth at the pain, feeling the blood slide down her legs.

“I took you off the streets, you should be grateful that I did. Anyone else would have let you die, though I sometimes consider if I should have done that.” Eiichi says, he slams his foot onto the back of her legs, pinning her to the ground. “So, while I’m away you will remember what it was like… What it was like to have no one look at you like you’re worth something, to have an empty belly without food, no warm bed to sleep in. You will remember that because you’re going to relive that and once you are ready, once you stop questioning me, I will come for you. Do you understand, Hamako?”

“Y-yes,” She whimpers, willing herself to obey to not go against his orders.

 _‘Why do you continue to let him control? Why do you keep accepting this abuse?’_ Was it because he was her Sensei? But she knew deep down that he didn’t really care for her, he only cared for her abilities, her strength. She could fight back, she could run away… But then what would she do?

Hamako needed to stop relying on Eiichi, needed to get away from him. But the truth was he would never let her go, after this, he would come back. He thought that she needed him, at some point she did, but those years she was gone… She became different, not completely, but she had a bit of freedom at least.

“Don’t!” Eiichi snaps, not at her but at Mori, who looks down at her with sympathy. Oh how she was beginning to hate that look, almost all of her life people looked down at her with that look. When would it end, when would they stop looking at her like that?

Which is why she forced herself up to her feet, huffing a breath. But Eiichi has begun walking away, Mori following him out of the village. He looks back at her mouthing something, she shakes her head not understand what he’s trying to say.

He mouths the word again, shaking his head. ‘Don’t’ is what he was trying to say. Don’t what?

Don’t attempt to kill Eiichi, don’t try to attack him. That’s what he was trying to say, Mori knew that if she tried to do such a thing it would only become a bigger mess. Soon both him and Eiichi are gone, the snow continuing to fall. She hears a snicker, blood pulsing as she cocks her head towards the source of the sound… It sounded like the woman who had mocked her for being a Shinobi.

Of course, they were noble women from the looks of it, or some upper class civilians at least. The woman wore a beautiful and finely detailed kimono, the other woman dressed the same, along with a haori. Hamako’s first thoughts were how much she hated them, they were clearly privileged woman, having everything handed to them on a silver platter. She had to fight for everything in her life and these women had everything handed to them easily.

Snarling, she walks towards them. The middle woman, the one who laughed at her, cocks an eyebrow at her while the others back away in fear. It’s not until she’s right in her face that her face falls, expression worried as Hamako bares her teeth at her.

“You think you’re so special, don’t you?” She sneers, looking her up and down. “Mocking everyone who is below you, is that how you live your life? Most of us have to fight to _live_ and yet you think that you can come here and shit on us with your wealth and beauty?”

Rage begins to consume her, the women cry out, stepping away from her quickly. The middle woman tries to stand her guard, but her body shakes as Hamako’s blood lust begins to show, not completely consuming her… Not yet. With shaking hands, she takes out a pouch and drops it at her feet, running away.

The pouch is of a fine material and is filled with more than enough money. Good, Hamako would be able to survive with this, if anything, she could steal from other Shinobi as well. She goes and grabs her bag, walking down the street. People now look at her with a mixture of disgust and horror, she doesn’t turn away, doesn’t flinch. She walks with her head held high, ignoring the pain in her legs.

Once she is away from all the people, she turns into an alleyway and slumps against the wall, sliding to the ground. Shame and horror fills her, not forgetting the way people looked at her, the way she had scared those women and would have killed them… Innocent women, was she so cruel that she would kill innocent people?

It didn’t matter, she was a monster.

Hamako sits in the darkness of the alley, feeling nothing but shame and despair.

* * *

Kisame could sense her and Samehada as well, picking up Hamako’s chakra as they neared the village. It seemed whenever Samehada could sense her, it would make that strange purring sound, ever since she held it at least. Strange behaviour for a sword, but Kisame found himself amused at this.

He walks through the village, snow still falling. It’s a bigger village right by the ocean in the Land of Waves. Where would she be? Perhaps she would be in one of the shops, having something to drink or eating something, if there was a bookstore she would probably be there as well.

Reluctantly, he had started reading that damn book she lent him… And to his surprise, he was enjoying it, mostly for the content. Though he found himself putting the book down and flushing at certain scenes. Then he would laugh, rather loudly, because it was so ridiculous yet entertaining and he was glad that Hamako had given this to him.

Kisame didn’t laugh often, he didn’t sit back and enjoy things like normal people would… But for once, he found himself smiling as he stopped at an inn, where she was staying. Ever since their battle, he had a hard time not thinking about her… Then he flushed slightly, forcing himself to not think too much on that.

Entering the inn, he walks up the stairs, following her scent, her chakra… He stops at a door, taking a breath before he knocks.

No answer.

He frowns, knocking again. No answer again, he can sense her in there… Perhaps she’s asleep, so he shouldn’t disturb her. He begins to turn away but the door opens.

“Kisame?”

Her voice sounds rough as she looks at him and Kisame feels something… Worry as he looks at her. There are bags under her eyes and her skin is pale, arms bruised, her hair messy as her eyes widen. Her cheeks are flushed and she looks away in embarrassment. “What are you doing here?”

“I… I came to see you.” He says softly, not tearing his eyes away from her. What happened to her? Did someone hurt her? If they did, then he would have to find whoever did such a thing.

“I don’t think you should be here. I’m sorry.”

The words are a slap in the face, before she can close the door, Kisame walks towards her but doesn’t touch her. He braces a hand on the door frame, wanting to reach for her, wanting to touch her… But he doesn’t. “Hamako… Please.”

She halts, eyes turning back towards him, hand frozen on the door.

Kisame sucks in a breath before saying. “Are you alright?”

Hamako blinks as if trying to figure out what he was saying. As if she had never heard the question before. He doesn’t wait for an answer, he barrels forward, desperate to know…

“Did someone hurt you? If they did, then I’ll find them…”

“What?”

Kisame flusters, clearing his throat. “I meant that if someone hurt you, I would find them and well, I don’t know if I would kill them… But I would definitely beat the living shit out of them. But if they attempted to kill you or physically harm you, then I’ll shred them.”

Hamako blinks again, thinking about his words. A smile blooms on her face and she laughs, Kisame relaxes, not realizing how tense he was. Then she begins to laugh harder and she places a hand on his chest, his whole body tensing again at the contact.

“You’re hilarious, you know that right?” She giggles, not pulling away from him.

“I wasn’t joking,” Kisame replies, staring down at her. “I was 100% serious about that.”

“I wasn’t… God, I didn’t mean that Kisame, though it’s hard for me believe that someone would do something like that for me.” Hamako says taking her hand away and wiping her eyes. “Not like I would need anyone to do that anyway, I can fight for myself.”

“Huh, like I didn’t know that already.”

“Well, now you know…” Hamako smirks then eyes him more warily, hands on her hips. “What are you doing here anyway? Did you come here just to see me?”

Now Kisame frowns, almost unsure of what to say. Even though she seemed happy to see him, there was still something wrong, something tense. Her eyes darted to the side and he wondered what was going on… She was a S-Classed Shinobi, so there could be someone trying to track her down. If that was the case, then it was no wonder she seemed tired. People like them often spent little time in the same place, had to travel often, while avoiding enemies… Kisame was used to this life, but was Hamako?

But there was still a lot he didn’t know about her. A lot she probably wouldn’t reveal to a man like him, despite his complicated feelings about her. No, he would not dare think about that dream he had days ago, though it was still burned into his memory. His eyes flick towards the balcony, something moves from outside…

At the same time, Hamako’s head snaps towards the door. “You saw that?”

“I did…”

She turns away storming towards the balcony and leaning outside, gazing down at the street below and then in every direction. It’s clear from her body language that she’s on edge, her chakra emanating hostility as she curses something under her breath.

“It was probably just some Shinobi.” Kisame says, trying to sound reassuring. At this, Hamako turns her stare towards him, eyes a deeper violet. Was it because of her ability or did her eye colour just simply change after their last fight?

“You’re acting way too calm about this,” She hisses, glowering up at him.

“Maybe I am, but I’ve had to deal with a lot of different Shinobis spying on me.” Kisame explains, his eyes locked on hers. “But… I’ve found a good solution and do you know what that is?”

She tilts her head back and raises an eyebrow, “And what is that?”

“Teach them a lesson of course,” He chuckles, leaning towards her. “Personally, I don’t always kill them, but I do emancipate them… A quick kill doesn’t teach a lesson, you have to be brutal.”

Hamako shudders, not at his words but how close they are, but she doesn’t pull away and neither does Kisame. Then she smiles softly, chuckling as she gazes at him again.

“Is that what I should do, Kisame? Teach them a lesson?”

“If you want to, sure.”

“And if I don’t do that?”

Kisame frowns again, “That’s not my choice to make… You can do whatever you wish.”

“Ah,” She says, her voice catching. “Well, I guess they should be lucky that I’m not in the mood to go kill them…”

He’s quiet for a long moment, staring down at her and feeling… Guilt? Empathy? Though he wasn’t a usually one to care about another person’s emotions, he felt something of the sort for the girl in front of him. It was clear that she was dealing with something, grief, despair, anger… He could ask, damnit he just had to ask, but he couldn’t form the words. Not out of fear or hesitation, but because he didn’t want to push her into discussing she wasn’t ready to talk about. 

There were things that Kisame couldn’t talk about and when he wanted to, he couldn’t form the words… Whatever things had haunted him, the terrible things he had to endure as a Shinobi, there weren’t words to explain the trauma. Hamako was young, but perhaps she was dealing with the same kind of things had to deal with.

“You want to go somewhere?”

He blinks, those thoughts drifting away as he looks to her. “Huh?”

“I’m tired of sitting on my ass and I don’t feel like chasing after some Shinobi who was spying on us,” She sighs, brushing past him towards the front door of the hotel room. “Besides, I’m hungry…”

“Ah, is that why you’re so cranky?”

She responds by flipping her middle finger to him and he laughs as he follows her out the door.


	17. Chapter 17

“I don’t understand why you choose to keep the girl, when you continue to mistreat her.”

Eiichi looks at Mori, his gaze sharp. “I didn’t realize that you even had a say in how I treat her.”

“No, I don’t.” Mori doesn’t back down from Eiichi’s dangerous look, his jaw clenching. “But she is young, doesn’t she deserve to be treated with a bit more respect?”

Eiichi looks away, pulling out a cigarette and then lighting it. He gazes into the distance, the snow falling heavy from the sky. “She will get nowhere if she becomes soft. Besides, I still need her and I plan to do everything in my power to keep her by my side.”

“Why, why are you so desperate?”

Eiichi gives Mori a knowing smile, leaning towards the other man and speaking into his ear. Mori goes pale, looking at Eiichi with in horror, mixed with shock.

After a long moment of silence, Mori asks the question that is on his mind. “Does she know?”

“No.” Eiichi says, shrugging. Mori stares at him and then turns away, his mouth in a tight line.

* * *

Hamako stares up at the dark sky, snow drifting down and falling onto her face, snowflakes catching onto her eyelashes. She takes a shuddering breath, staring back towards the people and the town itself. There must have been some kind of celebration happening, because people were all streaming down the street towards the pier.

She couldn’t completely shake off what had happened earlier with Eiichi and it didn’t help that she started to get cramps shortly after finding another hotel to stay in. Hamako had scowled at the fact, that right after being punished by her Sensei, her cycle had arrived. Of course, Kisame had pointed out this fact when they were eating and she had almost thrown her bowl of ramen right at his face. He only laughed at her and reassured her that he was only joking, Hamako had forgiven him, choosing to basically stuff her face with food than to snap at him.

Hamako also tried not remember her other conversation with Eiichi, the one about her own weight. Food was a luxury when she had struggled to survive as a child, of course now she always ate as much as she could. She didn’t understand what the issue was, Kisame didn’t even blink when she had ordered another bowl of ramen, well definitely more than two.

Well and he had paid for the food as well without question. Hamako blushed, not used to such generosity, especially by someone who was one of the most dangerous Shinobi.

Kisame walked out of the restaurant, adjusting the front of his cloak. His gaze goes towards all the people milling towards the edge of town and then to her, smiling slightly. Hamako smiles back, as he walks towards her, relaxing at his presence. But it didn’t erase the anxiety about what had happened earlier, it didn’t ease the tension… The paranoia that she was being watched.

Hamako could act as care free as she wanted but no matter what, she would have to do whatever she had to do for Eiichi… She feels people’s stares as they walk by and she suddenly wants to disappear. Her eyes turn downwards, avoiding them.

“Hey.”

“What?” She asks Kisame, not looking at him. Knowing that he would probably ask something that she wasn’t sure she could answer.

He looks at her for a long moment, then says. “There must be a fireworks festival going on.”

“Oh,” She says, frowning slightly. A fireworks festival… That was why there were so many people. “I’ve never been to one.”

“What?” He asks, clearly surprised and Hamako glares at him. “Really?”

“I never had the chance to… And I’ve never seen fireworks before.” She explains flatly, irritation creeping into her voice, especially as a few children run past her. One of them stops, looking up at her and Kisame, she snarls and the child runs away immediately.

Kisame looks at the running child and then back at her, “You also don’t like children.”

“I don’t hate them,” Hamako sighs, beginning to walk down the street. “But I’ve never wanted them, never will.”

“Fair enough,” Kisame says following her.

“Also… Yes, like I said before I’ve never seen fireworks. I was frightened by them when I was little… Actually, the noise more like.”

The explosions… She never liked them, ever since what had happened to her as a child, she had been frightened of loud noises, explosions. When she heard the sound of fireworks, she had hidden somewhere and covered her ears, trembling in fear. In truth, she had become afraid of many things at the time. How many times had she attempted to hide in fear?

Kisame stares down at her, frowning slightly. “Hm, you would probably hate Deidara then.”

“Oh, is that the bomber boy of the Akatsuki?”

“Yes, him and Sasori are constantly arguing over their art,” Kisame snorts. “Though I would say that I prefer them over Kakuzu and Hidan.”

“I would prefer _anyone_ over Hidan and Kakuzu,” Hamako mutters and Kisame laughs. “They’re both such assholes and I only interacted with them about… Like, two times?”

“I think once would be enough honestly.”

Hamako groans, rubbing her forehead at the thought of Kakuzu and Hidan. They’ve walked farther away from the village, coming to a bridge that runs over a stream, the water running into a larger pool that leads into the ocean. Now it has stopped snowing, the clouds parting and revealing the stars in the night sky. Kisame leans his elbows on the railing, looking out towards the water, Hamako following his gaze.

Compared to the chaos of the village, out here it is surprisingly quiet and calm. Feeling less on edge, Hamako leans against the railing beside him, gaze following his towards the water. For a long moment, there’s a comfortable silence between them and she closes her eyes, sighing softly at the scent of the ocean water and the cool air against her skin.

The quietness fades as a whistling sound comes from near the water, she opens her eyes to see a stream of light shooting towards the sky. Kisame says something but she doesn’t hear his words as the light explodes. Her body jerks instinctively, wanting to run from the sudden loud sound… But Hamako doesn’t, she stares up at the sky.

The once small light, explodes into a thousand colourful pieces, pink sparks bursting forth and lighting the night sky. The next one explodes and then another… They break apart, filling the sky with so many different colours.

Soon the sky is filled with a rainbow of colours, sparkling and exploding lights filling her vision. Hamako stares up in awe, almost forgetting to breath as she looks at the now colourful sky. The next firework that goes up explodes into a million fragments of colourful lights, much bigger than the other ones. She laughs, enraptured by the way the colours, the light, the beauty of it.

Hamako hadn’t seen many beautiful things in her life, but this was one of the most beautiful things she had seen. She turns towards Kisame but freezes as she looks up at him.

He is staring down at her, a warm smile on his face, a look in his eyes that she had never seen before. Hamako feels herself flush, a strange and warm feeling taking over her as she smiles back, brushing her hair from her face. He doesn’t tear his gaze away and neither does she, something laying between them, something she doesn’t know… Something she can’t put her finger on. Heart beat picking up speed, she feels her cheeks starting to burn and she prays that he doesn’t notice too much.

“I… I’m glad I saw this…” She murmurs turning her face back towards the fireworks. The flush in her cheeks doesn’t go away though and she can feel Kisame’s gaze on her… Was she feeling shy, or what? Hamako hadn’t experienced such a thing before.

“I think you’re more than glad that you’re seeing this, you look like a child who’s discovered candy for the first time.” Kisame chuckles softly.

“Well, I’m not a child, I’m 19 by the way,” Hamako scoffs. “Though I will be turning 20 soon…”

“Oh? Well, you’re still pretty young.”

Hamako laughs at that, “Yeah… Well, I so… I’m lucky to have made it to my 20’s.”

“When?” Kisame asks.

“When is my birthday?” Hamako asks, cocking an eyebrow at him. “I guess if you’re curious… It’s December 16th. Though I don’t see why it matters, since I don’t celebrate my birthday and never have.”

Kisame frowns slightly at this, face turned towards the sky. “Never?”

“Nah. I never have… Never had the opportunity to either I guess.”

Birthdays weren’t acknowledged as celebrations, it was just another ordinary day… That’s what Eiichi had said. Even when he was gone, Hamako had never told anyone her birthday and no one had asked her. Though she remembered one time, seeing a group of friends celebrating at a restaurant and she had watched with a strange feeling as they smiled and laughed.

Was that what truly living was like?

“You know, that’s kind of depressing, not celebrating your birthday.” Kisame sighs, tilting his face towards her. “And the fact that you have never once celebrated it anyways.”

Hamako frowns. “What’s the point in celebrating when I’m probably going to die anyways?”

She meant it to be more of a joke, but as soon as she said it, Kisame’s expression changed slightly and she felt the truth of her own words too deeply. “I mean…” She says more lightly. “I’m not saying I’m going to die, but knowing the situation I’m in, what kind of person I am, I doubt that I have a very long life ahead of me… I think especially as Shinobi, we die young right?”

“Don’t you want to live a long life?”

Hamako’s jaw hardens, lips turning down. “I don’t know… It’s not really living if you have to constantly run from danger and kill to survive.”

“Ah…” Kisame turns very silent, frowning as he looks away from her. She supposed that maybe he didn’t feel the same way, didn’t understand the way that she thought. Hamako couldn’t imagine, had never imagined that she would live a long life, what would she even do?

She flushed this time, from shame, feeling awkward about the words she had said. “Sorry, I killed the mood, didn’t I?”

“It’s fine, I suppose I’m getting used to your moody behaviour now.”

This time, she quirks an eyebrow. “Moody behaviour?”

“Believe me, you’re not the first-“ He stops as she looks at him, eyes like chips of ice as she glares at him. “Oops…”

“Say it…” She snaps, though she smirks slightly as he smiles coyly.

“You’re not the first moody and pissy ninja I’ve had to deal with. Remember our conversation about Kakuzu and Hidan?” Kisame waves a finger at her. “Kakuzu has even worse anger issues… He’s killed everyone of his partners, except Hidan of course.”

“Aw, they’re perfect for each other then,” Hamako croons. “I might be angry, but I’m certainly not that angry. After all, I’ve only tried to kill you once and that was an accident.”

Kisame laughs dryly. “That so? How many times did you think of killing me?”

“Surprisingly, not that much… Though you have pissed me off quite a few times.”

“Well… Despite it all, I like people who a bit of an attitude like you.” Kisame says, not looking at her… Good, because maybe he wouldn’t see her blushing again.

“Yeah,” Hamako manages to murmur, looking away. “You’re tolerable to be around, I suppose.”

He bellows a laugh and she can’t help but giggle, face feeling warm despite the cold weather. Hamako turns to him, but something or someone catches her eyes, her mouth opens in surprise. She tenses as the figure walks towards them.

“Oi, Hamako!” Yui waves at her and Kisame, who looks at her and then at Yui who continues to walk towards them casually. His face turns tense as well and he reaches a hand to his sword.

Hamako grabs his arm, hand gripping his bicep. “Don’t… It’s fine.”

“Hi,” Yui says casually, glancing at Kisame curiously. “I was looking for you, Hamako. Here I was thinking you would be holed up in a hotel room by yourself.”

“Uhh… Well, surprise, I’m not.” She grumbles, letting go of Kisame’s arm, trying not to think about how close they were. “Sorry… This is Yui, my friend.”

“… You have friends?” Kisame muttered, smirking. Hamako jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, but of course, he only snorted, Yui chuckling as well.

“Nice to meet you, Kisame…” She says smiling, waving a hand at him.

“Same to you as well…” Kisame says and Hamako finds the whole situation… Rather awkward. She didn’t expect Yui to be here, wasn’t sure that this was the right moment for her to arrive. Especially after what had happened between her and Kisame…

What had happened?

Yui stares at her and Hamako frowns, “What?”

“Did you not just hear anything I said?” Yui sighed.

“No, can you repeat that?”

“I said I wanted to talk to you alone,” Yui said more firmly, then looked to Kisame. “If that’s okay.”

“Seems like her head is in the clouds,” Kisame chuckled, looking down at Hamako.

She glared up at him. “No, it’s not!”

“You sure about that? You seemed to be spacing out there for a moment…” He snapped his fingers in front of her face, Hamako bared her teeth attempting to bite at his hand. “Your eyes glassed over-“

Hamako’s tried to hide her smile as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Can you stay here for a moment? I’ll be back, then you can try to harass me all you want.”

“Wait, you want me to do that?”

“Sure, it’ll give me an excuse to attempt to kick your ass again,” She chuckled, shrugging.

He scoffs, laughing at her bold statement. “Should I remind you that no one technically won that fight?”

“Yes,” Hamako grins, winking at him. “That’s why I think one of these days, we should have a rematch.”

* * *

“This might be obvious, but I wasn’t really expecting you to come…”

Yui laughs, waving a hand in dismissal. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your date.”

Hamako choked, almost tripping over her own feet as they walked towards the water’s edge. “I-It’s not like that…”

“I don’t know, you guys seemed to be having a moment there before I showed up…”

Hamako paused, turning to Yui who stretched her arms up, “You were watching us weren’t you?”

“Sorry… I was only curious.” Yui sighed, sitting down on a rock, facing towards the water. Hamako looked up, towards where they had walked from… Despite everything happening today, she wouldn’t risk talking about what had happened earlier.

“Anyways,” Yui continued, pulling something out of her pocket and handing it to Hamako. A document? When she opened it, she saw that it was an ID for a Shinobi, a Kirigakure one specifically. Yui also held one in her hand, looking over it quickly and then closing it. “I have a mission and I was hoping you could join me.”

“I think I already know where this is going…” Hamako murmured, these documents were clearly stolen… The original owners probably killed or captured. “What village do you plan to walk into?”

Yui laughs, eyes glinting. “Walk into? We still have to be stealthy for this mission… It wasn’t easy to secure these, but this is the best chance of us getting in.”

This time Hamako sighed, feeling almost uneasy at the idea of infiltrating one of the Shinobi villages, “Did you kill them yourself?”

“Yeah and not too long ago… If we hurry, we can get to where we need to be without causing suspicion.”

“You know that I need more information than that, Yui.” Hamako demanded, gritting her teeth. “What’s going on?”

The other girl paused, looking down for a long moment, seeming to look for the right words to say. Then she sighs, running a hand through her short hair, which had grown out from it’s buzz cut.

“I’ve been monitory what Kirigakure has been doing recently and I know others who have been watching the village and it’s activities as well…” Yui explained. “We’ve all noticed the same thing recently, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed as well.”

No, she hadn’t… In truth she hadn’t cared to pay attention to what Kirigakure did. Even if it was the place that she grew up in, why would she care? She chose to leave it behind, that meant not to think on the events of her life which had taken place in that village. There were also the horrid memories of the past which came from that place, memories which had left her scarred.

“Kirigakure has been sending ninja back forth to Iwagakure…” Yui continues as Hamako’s mood darkens at both the memories of her past and her words. “At first we thought it would be for some kind of mission, but there’s been both Chunin and Jonin ninjas travelling to the Village as well… It started a few months ago actually, we heard about an Iwagakure ninja who had travelled to Kirigakure, specifically to give information to the village.”

That didn’t really surprise Hamako, perhaps it was a way for the villages to form an alliance… By exchanging information, important information that is. But what was it that they were planning?

Yui frowns. “I looked into it and found out who this Iwagakure ninja was… He’s a researcher, a well know one.”

“So? Why would he be going to Kirigakure? Perhaps he just wanted to do some basic research…”

“It’s not just that…” Yui says softly, moving closer to her. “Eiichi met with this man before going to Kirigakure.”

Hamako’s blood went cold at the mention of his name. “He… He didn’t mention any of this to you?”

“Honestly Hamako, I think he didn’t want me to know about this.” She shakes her head. “I can’t help but feel that it had to do something with you.”

“Why…?”

Yui’s expression turns solemn, sad. “He’s always been obsessed about keeping you close… Those years where you didn’t even know he was alive, he constantly talked about you being by his side. He would do anything to make sure you and me never betray him.”

“God, he always made you sound like some kind of prodigy… Though he doesn’t treat you that way, but I can’t help but feel that he’s always been using you. I haven’t know him as long as you have Hamako, but I don’t have a good feeling about him…”

“He…” Hamako whispers, clenching her hands. “… He basically raised me, taught me how to fight, I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”

“You can be strong without him as well,” Yui says sharply, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Your life doesn’t revolve around him, especially with the shit that he does to you… He’s made it that way, he’s made you think that you need him to survive. Is that how you want to live, Hamako? Weren’t you at least relieved to have to deal with him when he was gone?”

_‘Yes…’_ She thought, wanting to scream the words instead. _‘I didn’t have to spend every second living up to his expectations… I didn’t have to deal with his constant disapproval.’_

Finally after a long moment, she asks. “Does he know about this?”

“No and believe me… I’ve made sure that he won’t find out,” Yui explains, crossing her arms. “We’ll leave tomorrow and I can explain the rest later…”

Hamako doesn’t say anything, just looks towards the water, eyes stinging as she clenches her hands, nails digging into her palms. Just like that, reality came crashing down on her and the few moments of peace she had were ruined by that reality.

“Okay…” She says after a long moment, pinching her forehead, forcing all of those dark thoughts and memories away. “I’ll go with you.”

To her surprise, Yui came over and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her. The close contact almost made Hamako startle, unsure of what to do. No one had ever held her like this, it was, unfortunately, a foreign thing to her.

“You know you can trust me right?” Yui says softly. “I don’t want to see you get hurt Hamako, especially after everything that you have been through.”

“Yeah…” Hamako stammers, unsure of what to say… It was almost like that moment with Kisame, a moment where she couldn’t describe how she felt or express her own emotions and desires. Is this the result of her lifestyle? Of trying to keep people at a distance? Was she scared of getting emotionally attached to anyone because of her past?

It was easier to keep people at a distance, because she didn’t want to experience loss again, didn’t want to be betrayed. But she questioned this as they walk back, her head hung low as the clouds move across the sky, covering the moon.

* * *

“Normally, a person like me would attempt to kill you, or fight you…” Yui says, drowning another cup of sake. “But I’m not in the mood for that shit… How much can you drink, anyway?”

“A lot,” Kisame replies, chuckling. “I’m not the type to get drunk that easily.”

Yui whistles. “Really? I tried really strong alcohol once, can’t remember what it was called… But I had maybe two glasses and I could barely walk!”

“… And here you are saying you could fight me.”

“Oh, well I wouldn’t win that fight! I hear you’re incredibly tough. But Hamako can take you on, she’s very strong after all.”

Kisame’s smile falters at her name, eyes lingering on the place she was sitting at before. She had become more reserved after her conversation with Yui, whatever it was about. No, she had been acting rather strange all day, her mood dark. He thought back to those times where she had told him about her past, those times where she would often say things that others would consider negative. She didn’t talk negatively, perhaps her thoughts were more realistic… They were a reflection of the things she had been through.

Now, he could understand it more clearly. He had been like that, he had pushed others away as well, it was the same thing that Hamako tried to do or had always done. It was easier being alone, by yourself though it was a sad way for others to live.

Kisame wondered if it would have been better if he had never crossed paths with this girl, because his thoughts were almost always on her. Hell, he had come all the way just to see her, something he would never have done and probably shouldn’t have done. Itachi probably knew, though he didn’t say anything to him specifically about it.

He couldn’t hide it forever, he had become attached to her in some way and he should not have.

Kisame also drowned another glass of sake then spoke again, “Me and her did fight.”

“You did?” Yui gawked. “When?”

“Very recently.” He found that his desire for friendly conversation had left him, as he stared at where Hamako had sat a few minutes before. She said that she needed to go to the restroom, but she had been gone too long… Where had she gone?

Yui didn’t reply right away, going silent but then she said rather softly, “She’s an incredible fighter isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Kisame agree. She truly was, Hamako was a remarkable Kunoichi, not just for her special ability but her fighting abilities in general. Whoever had trained her had done well. “She’s a brutal fighter as well.”

“Yeah, well she was trained to be that way, unfortunately…”

“Aren’t we all?”

Yui sighs, eye’s fluttering slight as she tilts her head back. “Yeah, but it was different in a way for her… She had nothing, no family or friends.”

“She has you though, doesn’t she?” Kisame asks quietly, eyes moving to Yui.

“Yeah well…” She mutters, shaking her head… She was drunk, face flushed. “I try to tell her but… I just don’t think she knows. She’s so used to being alone that when someone wants to be friends with her to tell her they care, she just… Tries to push you away. It was like that with us first, she wouldn’t speak to me at all… It took me so much to try to have a normal conversation with her.”

The words brought back the memory of first meeting her… How she kept her distance and her cold behaviour towards him. It would have made him laugh, remembering how different she was then, compared to now. Despite that, his mood fell as he then remembered that moment on the bridge, the fireworks.

She had looked so happy and there was something about the way that she looked that almost left him breathless. And being the fool he was, he stared at her because he was fascinated by her, she was beautiful. Kisame found himself dreading that feeling because he knew how dangerous it was to be attached to someone, to grow fond of them.

_‘It’s only physical attraction, maybe…’_ He thought to himself, but it didn’t help the uncomfortable feeling. Instead, he had another glass of sake, not caring if he did get drunk tonight. It was better to do that then to let his thoughts linger on her and that physical attraction he felt towards her. Better than to think about what he wanted to do with her, beyond fighting.

Kisame only stared nothing, drinking his sake as his thoughts still lingered on Hamako.

* * *

Hamako laid on her side on the futon, a bottle of sake beside her. Her face was already flushed from drinking, perhaps she had drunk too much especially after her conversation with Yui. Thinking back to their conversation, she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.

Closing her eyes, she wanted to drift into sleep but startled at the sound of a knock at her door.

Almost tripping as she gets up, she walks to the door and opens it. Hamako blinks and Kisame looks down at her grinning.

“Um, hi.” She only mumbles, blushing when he leans in closer.

“… Why are you hiding in here?” He asks. Hamako looks him up and down, listening to the sound of his voice, it was clear that he had drank too much as well. Of course, when this had happened he chose to come here… Though she found that she wasn’t as annoyed as she thought she would be.

“You’re drunk,” She points out. Before she can say anything else, he pushes past her and she gawks. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Joining you.”

Hamako scowled, “I wanted to be by myself, thank you very much, hey!”

She found herself back against the wall, his hands on either side of her head, staring down at her. Either it was the fact that she was also slightly drunk, but she didn’t try to make him move. His jaw clenched and then unclenched as he stared at her, heat flooding her body at Kisame’s rather intense stare.

“W-why are you staring at me like that?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re… Staring… At… Me…” She said more slowly, then giggled. “Like I-“

Kisame leaned down and kissed her.

For a moment, she stood there in shock… Heart hammering in her chest, almost unsure of what to do. But she didn’t stop, her toes curled as she relaxed into him, his mouth opening and deepening the kiss. Hamako put her hands on his shoulders, moaning as he-

_‘Stop,’_ a part of her wanted to scream, knowing how foolish this was. This was a mistake, something she could never risk doing. But she didn’t want to stop, she felt a familiar heat rising in her, the same heat she felt months ago when she touched herself. When after all she could think of was Kisame and she was confused why she thought of him.

Even though she denied it, never thought about it, she was attracted to him. Was that why she was so bitter towards him sometimes? How long had she felt this way?

Kisame abruptly pulls away from her, almost as if she had done something to push him away. “Shit…” He mutters, shaking his head.

“What?” She gasps slightly, feeling strangely dizzy after that and also irritated that he pulled away so suddenly.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” He says more quietly this time, looking away from her. Trying to pull himself together, he walks towards the door…

“Where are you going? Kisame?” Hamako asks, dread pooling in her gut, the warm desire not fading. Kisame was fast, but she was fast as well, before he could leave she blocks the door, him standing inches away from her again.

“Hamako…” Kisame says, then his voice fades as she looks up at him, intensely, licking her lips.

Whatever she sees in his eyes, he sees in hers as well. Perhaps, it was all a mistake, it would be something that she would regret. But for once, she didn’t care not at all.

A fiery and tense silence laid between them until both couldn’t handle it.

They crashed into each other, mouths seeking each other again as one would seek air.


	18. Chapter 18

Kisame pressed Hamako against the door, his hands gripping her hips as she undoes his cloak. He practically rips it off, along with his headband and his arm bracers. She gasps as he pulls her up against the wall, her legs wrapping around his waist and feeling his erection against her thigh.

His mouth moves to her jaw, her neck, down to her collarbone, her breath hitches as his grip on her thighs tighten and his mouth moves to the swell of her breasts. A rumbling growl escapes his mouth as she jerks her hips against his, feeling his cock swell more at the contact.

“Shit,” She breathes, almost whimpering at the way her body reacted to Kisame’s touch. Another curse almost escapes her own mouth as his hands grab her ass and he carries her to the futon.

Hamako was overcome, with both arousal and drunkenness. But the way her skin burned, her body ached, she was going to explode. She wanted to strip off all her clothes, to feel his skin and his body against hers, inside of her.

The next moments passed by almost too fast, Hamako didn’t know it was just her dizzying thoughts or the lust or the alcohol, but too soon, he was laying her down on the futon. Too soon, she was half-naked, in only her bra and panties, clothes were thrown onto the floor, and Kisame kneeling between her legs. She felt…

Kisame’s low chuckle sent a shiver down her skin, his one hand skimming the top of her underwear. “This is better than us fighting isn’t it?”

“Hmm…” Hamako moans, eyes fluttering closed. His hands lingered on her skin and she bites her lip, wanting him to not stop.

“Don’t worry, I won’t keep you waiting…” He purrs, kissing her neck.

His sharp teeth grazed her skin, tongue sliding up her collar bone as his hand slides her bra strap down. Her hips jerk against his, heat blooming more between her legs as his hands slide down her breasts, her belly to the hem of her underwear. All other thoughts escape her as his fingers slide down the cotton fabric, sliding down between her wet lips and touching her clit.

“Oh!” She gasps as his fingers begin to rub her _there_ , working in a slow, teasing circular motion. Kisame uses his teeth to pull her bra down, exposing her breasts. His tongue licks her nipple, then sucks each as his hand continues to rub her faster.

If there was anything in her mind, any excuse to make this stop, to push Kisame away… It was drowned out by her pleasure, gasping as her eyes flutter and fuck, she can’t think of anything else now. Her hands grasp his hair as her legs shake, his mouth still on her breasts, squirming as his sharp teeth graze her nipples. Hand digging into his shoulder, hard enough to draw blood Hamako arches her back as she can feel her climax come, face flushed.

She doesn’t know if she yells or if she even screams, everything else just blurs as she is almost overcome with pleasure. Body shaking as she gasps for air, her gaze meeting Kisame’s as he pulls down her underwear and she takes off her bra, throwing it aside.

“I-“ He mutters, but she shushes him, pulling him forward.

“Keep your mouth shut,” She whispers and she lets her glide down his chest, to his stomach silently admiring how powerful his body is. When she cups her hand underneath his erection, he freezes and a soft growl escapes his mouth as she slowly strokes him, his hand grabbing the back of her hair.

“Naughty girl,” He growls into her ear, nipping at her lobe. He puts his hand over hers, where she continues to touch him, then he undoes his pants, sliding them down his hips along with his underwear.

Hamako was not shocked by the sight of an undressed man, considering she had seen quite a few in her life. But she had not been prepared at the site of Kisame’s naked body, she openly stared as he threw his pants aside, her gaze lingering to below his stomach. Her face flushed, her whole body flushed with a sudden and almost overwhelming desire.

Not so gently, he pushes her back down on the futon legs spread, he presses his cock into her and she cries as he’s fully inside of her. She had not been prepared for him, for his size and her eyes begin to water with tears as the pain begins to subside.

“Hm, you’re so tight…” He moans jaw clenched. Kisame leans over her, elbows on either side of her as he begins to slowly thrust into her. He chuckles as she moans and whimpers, nails digging into his back and shoulders. He responds with faster and slightly harder thrusts, pain, and pleasure causing their moans to grow louder.

God, when had she last felt this good? Everything she had done was the opposite of everything she was supposed to do… The drinking, the sex. When she looked at Kisame, she could see the pleasure in his eyes, his face.

More.

She wanted more.

He moved as if reading her very thoughts. Sitting up, he grabs her hips and begins to thrust harder and faster. Her breasts bounced, back slightly lifted as he continues to thrust and the room is filled with the sound of their moans and the sound of skin slapping against skin. As she rests her legs on his shoulders, Hamako feels herself about to lose control again and Kisame grunts loudly, gripping her legs hard enough to bruise.

He yells, then bites into her inner thigh, his body growing taught as he climaxes. She follows soon after, gasping for air as if she had been swimming for too long. They both sit there, Kisame still inside her as they both breathe heavily, their bodies warm and damp with sweat. He pulls away from her, almost stumbling as he lays down on the other side of the futon.

The air is and the room is filled with silence, perhaps he’s already fallen asleep, most likely due to the amount he has drunk. But Hamako lays there for a long time, staring up at the ceiling.

Soon after, she falls asleep.

* * *

The first thing Kisame noticed when he woke up, was that he was naked… Completely naked. The second was that he had a headache, a rather bad one. Proof that he had drunk too much last night, despite how much of a heavyweight he could be.

The second thing was that someone was lying in the futon beside him… Who’s room was he in? He didn’t…

All thoughts and questions stopped as he saw who laid beside him, back towards him. That familiar tattoo on her back, black hair messy and spilled across the pillow. This close, he could see some of the scars on her body along with newer bruises.

Hamako… And she was completely naked, the blanket barely covering her.

Shame and regret filled Kisame, his throat going dry. What had he done? Well, it was obvious now as he felt the scratches her nails made on his back. Flashes of what had transpired between them had come forward in his memory, though most of it seemed hazy he could still recall most of what happened.

The feeling of being inside of her, Hamako’s moans, and her voice moaning his name. The taste of her skin and how wet she was when he put his hand between her legs. Kisame had to force himself to stop, or else he wouldn’t be able to stop. He had crossed a line, he had gotten drunk and had sex with Hamako. Had she even said yes, did she say that she wanted it as well?

But that wasn’t the problem, the problem was that he had acted upon his emotions. He strayed from his goal, his loyalties. And what about her loyalty? He only knew so much about her, she could be lying about her past… He didn’t even know everything about her. Thousands of different things played throughout his head and it only made his headache worse.

The best solution now was to leave, then he could think.

It was only just sex, it wasn’t the first time he had sex with another Shinobi… But why was this so different? As quickly and as quietly as he could, he puts his clothes back on which had been thrown in all different parts of the room.

Grabbing Samehada, he doesn’t look back at her as he leaves the room, closing the door behind him quietly.

* * *

“Ah… Fuck…”

Light filtered into the room, Hamako blinking against the too-bright light as she shifted her stiff body. She pulls the blanket over her head, which pounded in pain.

Then she remembers the night before.

A sense of dread overwhelms her, but not regret. That surprised her since she had done something she had forbidden herself from doing. She had sex with an Akatsuki member, with Kisame Hoshigaki of all of them. Wasn’t it just a few years ago now that she had sworn she would kill the man and thought she had despised him?

But she did hate him, but her body spoke differently on that matter, especially after last night. There was a tender pain between her legs, core heating, and toes curling as she remembers exactly how he touched her last night. The feel of his body against hers, nails digging into his powerful shoulders as he thrust into her.

Then the way he touched her there, between her legs, his mouth, and tongue on the tips of her breasts… When she looked down at them, she could see bruises and bite marks on them. Rather than feeling alarmed, she felt… Aroused. Face heating, she laid underneath the blanket, letting her hand explore her own skin as she remembered.

When she reached her climax, it wasn’t… It wasn’t like it was with him, it was never the same. She threw back the blankets and sat up. If he was ever here, there was no evidence of it, he must have left a few hours earlier. It stung, knowing that he had left without saying anything, but why should she care? Maybe he regretted what happened as well.

Grimacing, she sits up, legs feeling shaky and strangely weak as she gathers up her own clothing… Once she has done that, she goes into the washroom and takes a shower. Thankfully, there are no obvious bruises or marks on her collarbone and neck, though her lips are slightly swollen.

For a long time, she stands underneath the shower. Then another thought occurs to her… Eiichi, Mori, and Yui…

“Shit!”

* * *

Hamako leaves the hotel, walking down the streets of the town. Looking right and left, she doesn’t spot Yui anywhere… She couldn’t have left without her.

A movement within one of the alleys catches her attention. There, she stands waving her over to where she is standing. Hamako hurries over to her, hood pulled up over her hair and hiding her face.

“So-“ But before the words can leave her mouth, Yui stops her, pulling her farther into the alleyway. Following her gaze, she sees what…

A sudden wave of nausea hits her as she sees who is standing out on the road, talking to someone… Someone she can’t really see.

Eiichi.

Panic seizes her fiercely but all she can do is stand there and pretend to not be afraid. She already knew why he was here because she was still here… If he found her, he would ask questions, too many questions. Hamako knew that he was a smart man and could see easily through her lies. If she was not careful, his questions could turn into something else.

Whoever he was talking to had already disappeared and Eiichi continues to walk down the road. As soon as he’s gone, both her and Yui relax slightly.

“Let’s go,” Yui whispers, and Hamako nods, following her out of the alley and eventually out of the village as well.

* * *

An hour passes as they make their way out of the village, Hamako’s stomach grumbling slightly. They would stop eventually for food and something to drink and anything else they needed. Hamako sorts through her thoughts, trying to think of anything but Kisame.

She goes cold, stopping in the middle of the road. “Shit.”

“What is it?” Yui asks, either she had been hungover or she wasn’t in the mood to talk. Her brow furrows in concern as she looks at Hamako’s pale and taut expression.

“I-“ Hamako stammers, face flushing at the thought. “I need to see a doctor.”

Yui blinks, then her jaw drops slightly. “Oh… You and Kisame…?”

“Yes, we had sex. We didn’t use protection. And the last thing I want to deal with is getting pregnant.” Hamako snaps. Her frustration had started to boil over along with the panic of seeing Eiichi back in the village. This day was already turning to shit and the fact that she still felt like shit from drinking too much didn't help either.

“It’s okay, Hamako…” Yui says reassuringly, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s been less than 24 hours, you can find a solution thankfully. There are doctors, Medical Ninja who will treat you of course.”

“Even a rogue Shinobi?”

“Of course,” She shrugs as they continue to walk again, keeping a faster pace. “There are lots of them and a lot of them of course can deal with this situation.”

“… You can just say Birth Control, Yui. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal anyways.”

“Do you…” She asks seriously, eyes sliding towards her. “Not carry it on you? It’s not that hard to get and it’s good to have just in case…”

Hamako sighs at the idea, which had seemed ridiculous to her. “No, because the last thing I thought that I would be doing is having sex. But… Of course, I did and now here we are.”

Yui nods and for a long moment, she was quiet, seeming to ponder something. Then her gaze slides to Hamako again, eyes glinting with curiosity.

“I think I already know what you’re going to ask…” Hamako mutters, face heating again.

“Can I ask?”

“Fine,” She grits her teeth and straightens her back, preparing herself for those more personal questions.

“Well, judging from the fact that you are limping slightly… Was it good?” Yui asks to lean towards her, whispering. Was it obvious that Hamako was limping? Because she definitely still felt sore and it was hard to hide.

“Yes… Though I was pretty drunk, I remember it being pretty good.”

Pretty good was probably an understatement, the sex was great. Hamako just wouldn’t admit that, because she still couldn’t believe that she and Kisame had ended up in bed together. The thought, the idea of it was appalling but she still… She didn’t regret it, because it was good? Because his touch had almost left her begging for more?

“Okay…” Yui hums and then she snickers, covering her mouth with her hand.

Hamako’s eyes narrow at her, “Say it.”

“Well, he is a tall guy… A really big guy, powerful too obviously. So… He must be pretty big down there as well.”

“Okay, as I said before, I was drunk so I didn’t get a chance to really assess it and measure it if that’s what you’re asking.”

Though… She remembered the feel of it inside of her and she never recalled feeling that much pain before. And… Hamako flushed as she did remember the sight of Kisame’s naked body in front of her, his rippling muscles, his abs, and his other _parts_.

“Okay… I think I get it.” Yui laughs. “I’ll stop bugging you now.”

“Thanks…” Hamako murmurs, not bothering to hide her flushed face.

* * *

For the first time in a very long time, Kisame couldn’t focus on anything else. His headache had gone away but he had still a terrible sense of unease and discomfort. Not physically but mentally, he tried not to think about what had happened last night. Though a few times he had stopped to really think about what he had done, something he shouldn’t have done.

Doing that, made it worse. He should just move on, it wasn’t like it was his first time. But was it hers? It was not like they had talked about it, they were too drunk to talk instead they had sex/

This had made things complicated. Kisame made the mistake of acting on his own feelings and forgot what he was really there. Everything about his mission had been forgotten when he first laid eyes on her when he touched her. He had grown careless that night, something he had not often done, especially in his position.

And for the mission…

“Where is the girl?”

Zetsu stared down at him from the tree, eyes blinking. He would often appear like this, almost out of nowhere so no one was surprised by it. **“She’s not here…”** His black half mused out loud.

“No, she isn’t,” Kisame grumbled, not meeting his eyes. “I don’t know where she went off to.”

**“Couldn’t you have shredded her and brought her here back barely alive? I don’t think Pain would care, considering he suggested recruiting her.”**

Right… Kisame could remember that very clearly. Considering the relationship he had built with Hamako, it was the best chance of convincing her to join. It wasn’t hard, Kisame could do it and that was why he had tracked her down anyways. That was why he didn’t tell her, lied to her about why he was there. He should have been surprised that she didn’t bombard him with questions, but either she was not feeling well or she had started to… Warm-up to him, not trust him exactly.

He didn’t dare think about the next thing that lingered in his mind, especially when it came down to the fact that she didn’t despise him anymore. Rather than think further, he had to make up a lie or some story about why he had failed to bring the rogue Kunoichi to the Akatsuki. He couldn't just tell the Akatsuki and their leader that instead of bringing her back, he had gotten drunk with her and had sex with her. Then feeling ashamed of what he had done, he had left her. No, he could definitely not tell the Akatsuki that.

“I didn’t even get a chance to fight her. We talked for a bit and then she left the village.”

White Zetsu and Black Zetsu were both silent then his white half spoke, “You didn’t go after her?”

Kisame glowered at him, “She’s a smart girl, she would have guessed my intentions so I’m assuming that’s why she ran.”

“After seeing her fight like that, I would be hesitant too…” White Zetsu sighed, while his black half just growled. **“Even Kisame fears her.”**

“I doubt that Kakuzu and Hidan would even try fighting her again.”

“Not like they can unless they really want to piss Pain off,” Kisame added, chuckling slightly. “I would have liked to have seen what Hamako had done to Hidan. If he wasn’t immortal, she would have killed him.”

Zetsu stares at him for a long moment. “You seem fond of her. What do you know about her anyway?”

**“Considering her reputation, we already know the basics. I just wonder why exactly she went rogue from Kirigakure anyways.”**

Kisame had thought about that often, but he couldn’t just ask her, because she most likely wouldn’t tell her. Or was it because he didn’t want to push her to tell him the truth? Damnit, he really was letting his own personal feelings get in the way of what he had to do. If things continued like this… No, they would not continue like this.

After a long moment of silence, he finally says. “She’s never once told me why she did. Perhaps it has something to do with her abilities… I believe she told me that she kept it a secret before leaving, maybe someone found out and they tried to have her killed.”

“That could be…” White Zetsu says thoughtfully. After a while he disappears, without saying anything else. Kisame stands there, staring out into the distance…

Was that why Hamako had left Kirigakure? Was it because of her ability or because of something else? He had made the mistake of not asking those kinds of questions, instead, he had… He had teased her and then he had kissed her, while almost completely drunk. Kisame had not even been thinking properly, he had been staring at her face, her lips, and then her body, imagining his mouth on every inch of her skin.

And god, it had felt so good. Despite how drunk he was, despite how confusing his feelings were, he reveled in the feel of her body against his, of himself inside of her. The way her hand had stroked his cock underneath his pants…

He flushed, already feeling hard again at the thought. If he kept thinking like this, how was he going to focus properly on his missions? It didn’t help that the very thought of Hamako stirred his blood and then had him feeling aroused. If he just imagined the way her hand had stroked him, surprisingly gentle… Then the feel of his mouth on her skin, her breasts, and on the apex of her thighs.

“Goddamnit,” He groaned as his cock twitched beneath his pants. It was almost unbearable how aroused he already was frustration causing him to hiss as he attempted to force the thoughts away.

Snow began to fall lightly and it was a long while before Kisame left to meet Itachi. While he walked, he looked behind him, hearing the trees rustling and… Something else? But there was nothing else there, no one watching him. So he continued to walk forward as the snow began to fall more heavily.

* * *

Hamako squirmed slightly as she sat in a chair, facing the woman before her. A Medic ninja, she looked to be only around her early or late 20’s. Her most distinguishable feature was the burn mark trailing down her neck and to her chest… They were on her hands as well. But she didn’t stare, already knowing what it was like to be stared at, considering the scars she had on her face.

“How long ago did you have sex?” The woman asked, not staring at Hamako but at the clipboard in her hands.

“Last night,” Hamako said shortly and the Medic Ninja wrote down on the paper, her face expressionless.

“Did you use any protection?”

“N-no… We didn’t and I didn’t have any contraceptives on me. That’s why I’m here…”

“I see,” The Medic Ninja said, nodding her head. She sets the clipboard down on her desk and reaches into one of the drawers. Pulling out two different items, she shows them to Hamako who stares down at them. One is a bottle of pills and the other is a small packet, containing two different colored pills.

The Medic Ninja continues talking, holding the left packet to her. “This is the emergency contraceptive, it can be taken 48 hours after you have had sex.”

“Yes,” Hamako says curtly, eyes going to the bottle of pills. “But what is this?”

“Birth control,” The Medic ninja says, not flinching at Hamako’s sharp voice. “It’s a pill you can take every day to prevent pregnancy. It can cause some side effects but it’s helpful to take if you are currently sexually active. “

Hamako almost groaned, sighing instead. “I… I don’t plan to be sexually active.”

To her surprise, the Medic Ninja chuckles. Again, Hamako’s eyes go to the bottle of pills, biting her lip. Sexually active? Eiichi would have laughed at that, probably scorn her for-

But it wasn’t his decision. Why did he have to have a say in everything she did? What she did with Kisame was a mistake, but it didn’t mean she regretted it. She enjoyed the sex and with someone else, she would enjoy it too. She wasn’t just born to kill, to fight… She could enjoy those sexual experiences, she could because it was her body and hers alone of course.

“Many people say that, before they decide to take it,” The Medic Ninja continues. “But things can change… Besides, it doesn’t just help with preventing pregnancy. It can also reduce period pain… Do you have painful periods?

“… Yes.” Hamako says quietly, almost flinching. It would be her cycle soon and the pain that came with it was almost unbearable. It was so bad that for the first few days, she could barely get up.

“If that’s the case, then I would recommend taking them. They might help with the pain, especially if the pain is unbearable.” The Medic Ninja says, putting the bottle in a bag and handing it to Hamako. She pours a glass of water and hands it to her. As she pops the pills and swallows them, she feels… Something or someone from outside the small shop. Drinking the water, Hamako stands up and pulls out some money, handing it to the Ninja.

“Thank you.” She says, sliding it into her pocket. For a moment, she hesitates and then says. “If you find those don’t work for you, there is another solution… Though it is permanent.”

“Is there?” Hamako replies, raising an eyebrow.

The Medic Ninja nods. “I’ve had it done myself and I’ve personally not regretted it. You don’t plan on having children do you?”

“I have never once thought about having them,” Hamako snorts. “And I don’t think that’s going to change.”

“I understand. I always knew that I never wanted to be a mother as well, so I got it done and haven’t regretted it.” She shrugged, turning away. “But again, it’s up to you… I’m not pressuring you to choose but there is always that option if you need it.”

“Thanks,” Hamako mutters before leaving, opening the door and walking up the stairs.

It was late evening now, the streets of the village dark and quiet as she exits the building. Hamako had made sure to get another jacket along the way and she put the bag the Medic Ninja gave her into her pocket. Breath fogging in front of her, she makes her way to the inn, pulling her hood up. She and Yui had made good progress so far, making their way to a small village near the border of the Land of Fire.

In a few days, they would be nearing Kumogakure. It seemed insane to attempt to infiltrate the village, especially since they were both rogue ninja and Hamako had a high bounty on her head.

She was about to walk into the building when she spotted something at the corner of her eye…

“Oi…” A familiar voice called out from the darkness.

Fucking hell, when would she ever catch a break?

Hidan leaned casually against the wall of the inn, staring at her with that nasty smile. Hamako glared back at him, body taught with alertness. How many times was she going to bump into Hidan and Kakuzu? She didn’t see his partner anywhere, which was probably a good sign.

“I’m convinced…” Hamako hissed. “That you are stalking me.”

“Did you say the same thing to Kisame?”

That almost stopped her short, but Hamako only glared at him harder. “Why are you here, Hidan?”

“You’d be fucking surprised, I’m not here to kill you…” He started, cracking his neck. “Though I am surprised, I haven’t seen Kisame and I assumed you both would be heading to the Land of Rivers, not in this direction…”

“What are you talking about?” Hamako asks, now frowning and thinking over what he had said. It didn’t make sense, unless…

A chill runs down her spine and her stomach drops. What she thought of was the most possible explanation, but a part of her also didn’t want to believe it. She shouldn’t be surprised, of course, she should have figured it out before. But she had been in a depressed stupor, she hadn’t cared, she wanted to be with someone, even if that person was Kisame Hoshigaki of all people.

She grabs Hidan by the front of his cloak and slams him against the wall. “Tell me!”

“Fucking hell!” He snaps. “You’re an aggressive bitch, you know that?”

“Yes, I do. And what is wrong with that? If I wasn’t an aggressive bitch, I wouldn’t be where I am and I wouldn’t have nearly killed you that day in Amegakure you asshole.” Hamako snapped back, shoving him against the wall. “I’m not afraid of you, but I would be more concerned if your partner was here… After all, he’s the one who actually knows how to use your brain. So now you can tell me whatever it is you have to say or I’ll force it out of you.”

“Your reputation fucking precedes itself, you know. Especially with how many people you have killed… You know everything you have fucking done up until now has been noticed by many Ninja and the major ninja villages right?”

Hamako grunts but Hidan continues. “Obviously our organization has taken an interest in you… Yes, my fucking asshole partner would not have hesitated to kill you, especially with your ridiculous bounty. But even he understands how rare your ability is and since your leader asked for you, he’s thrown the idea of killing you for money down the fucking drain.”

She doesn’t say anything, stomach seeming to turn as she listens to Hidan speak. After a beat of silence, he speaks again and she loosens her grip on him.

“I mean, you caused a fucking scene in Amegakure… Though Kakuzu does like to blame me for it as well-“

“What happened back then has nothing to do with now,” Hamako said, glaring at him again. “Spit it out.”

“Well, we all know that you and Kisame seemed to have hit it off when you both met… And he seems to have formed some friendship with you.”

“… I don’t do friendships.” Hamako states though the words she said did not feel right. They were a lie.

“Right…” Hidan drawls, rolling his eyes. “Our leader thought he could use that to his advantage to get you into the organization. It wasn’t a bad idea, actually… But it’s clear to me that Kisame seems to have failed. So what happened? Did you run away from him?”

Then Hidan pauses, frowning. “Well… No, then if you only fucking figured it out now… What did happen then?”

Hamako has to force herself to stop shaking… To not relive what happened that night, remembering the smell of him and the feel of his body. How good it had been, but of course, Kisame was willing to fuck her just so he could lure her into the Akatsuki. Desire mixed with rage, all towards him… He was willing to fuck her over, just like everyone else.

“Kisame’s goal was to find you and bring you back somehow. Our leader didn’t clarify whether to bring you back in one piece or not.” Hidan said slowly as Hamako releases her grip on him. “So that’s basically it… Are you happy now or are you going to fucking-“

She brought her fist back and slammed it into his face, the force of the impact caused him to slam back against the wall. Letting out a shaky breath, blood pulsing, she mustered all of her anger into her stare as she looked down at him, lips peeling back.

“You’re going to relay a message to your leader.” She said to him and Hidan’s eyes widen slightly as he stands up. “You will do that for me, will you?”

“That sounds more like a demand than a question… Tch, fine.”

Hamako walks towards him, till she is only inches away from him, feeling his breath on her cheek as her gaze pierces him. “Tell him that if he wants me so bad that he has to try and come get me himself. If he wants me so bad, he won’t be sending out his goddamn minions to come and snatch me up like I’m some fucking toy. And if he does try to send anyone else after me again, I will flay the skin off of every inch of their bodies and make them regret even being born.”

Hidan’s breath fogs, his eyes never leaving hers as they stare each other down. She places her hand on his neck, nails digging slightly into his skin. “Also, pass a message along to Kisame for me…”

“Uh, okay…”

“Tell him that the next time that I see him and that if we fight, it will be to the death. No holding back, no talking… I want blood, plain and simple. And if he tries to lure me like I’m some fucking cat, I will take his fucking sword and shove it up his worthless ass. Then perhaps I’ll take Samehada for myself.”

Hamako turns away from him, but then Hidan calls to her causing her to turn around and look at him again.

“Even if I think you being an aggressive bitch is kind of hot… You do fucking realize that they’re not going to take your threats lightly?”

She laughed dryly, smiling at him wickedly. “Hidan- _San_ , I do know that… Unlike you, I actually know what and how to think.”

“Fuck you too, bitch.”

They parted ways, Hidan storming away from her. Well, he was rather pissy but Hamako…

Her palms stung, when she opened them and looked, she saw that her nails left cuts into her palms. Her body shook slightly and her face felt hot, eyes stinging. Was she crying? No, she was angry, she was beyond angry. Not just at him, but herself.

Kisame, if she thought of him. The way he smirked at her and-

Her fist connected with the wall and she screamed, her other fist following. She didn’t know how long she had stayed out there, but by the time she went inside her knuckles were bleeding and her throat was dry.

With all of her rage, Hamako wasn’t sure how she was going to sleep tonight. She had been fucked over, again. That was all she could think about as she laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.


End file.
